Limelight Exhibit

My husband and I moved to Huntsville in the summer of 2001 after he retired from the military. A few months later I joined the Huntsville Art League and have enjoyed being an active member.

I was born and raised in Germany, in a town of about two hundred thousand people. My education in Germany had little to do with art except for art/art history classes during my high school years and I did very well in art class. After high school I became an apprentice with the Deutsche Bank. I also attended night classes at the local language school and received my certificate to be a Professional Business Correspondent, Interpreter and Translator in the English language.

While on vacation in Florida I met my husband Alex. He had just finished flight school (helicopters) and then got stationed in Germany. We married in Stuttgart, Germany about a year later.

During one of our moves we ended up in Ft. Bragg, N.C. in 1981 and I had the opportunity to quit working and studied watercolor for about three years with Lyn Padrick. The classes were sponsored by the Fayetteville Technical Institute; the actual classes took place at the Fayetteville Museum of Art. During that time I also joined the Art Guild of Fayetteville. I had a chance to “get my feet wet” and took part in some shows and sale exhibits. I did not win a thing but enjoyed the process immensely. During that time I met one of my best friends, who is now 85 years old and she just recently won first place in a local competition in N.C.

I read numerous books about watercolor techniques and composition/design; the North Light Book Club became my closest friend for a while. Our stays in Germany also allowed us to travel quite a bit. There is always a museum just around the corner and landscapes/cityscapes to photograph or sketch somewhere in Europe. Actually I am still painting from photos I took many years ago. While stationed in Texas I briefly got interested in German Folk Art painting and painted designs on furniture with acrylic. Occasionally I work on a watercolor collage (after having taken a Gerald Brommer workshop a couple of years ago) or do some abstract painting. Since coming to Huntsville, I have also taken classes from Marcia Leonard and a class from Mary Anne Pope, and belong to the Figure Drawing Group at HAL. There is always something more to learn.

To me watercolor is one of the most versatile and exciting mediums. Usually my paintings are done in transparent watercolor where the white of the paper itself is used as the highlights. I think, in (watercolor) painting just as in life, it is the journey that is interesting and exciting not necessarily the destination. I am enjoying the journey.

Heike Covell’s Limelight Reception will be held on August 14, from 2-4PM. All are welcome and invited to attend.