Adam Heesch is a Utah transplant originally from Oregon where he grew up exploring the outdoors. His love of nature and wildlife provided his early inspiration for his art. At the age of four, Adam’s talent was recognized by the landlord, who happened to be the master wood carver of Mount Hood’s Timberline Lodge. Ray Neufer took an interest in Adam’s artistic development, provided him with his first modeling clay and inviting him to observe his work in his studio.
Adam attended Brigham Young University in Provo Utah where he studied Illustration and graduated with a BFA from the Design Department. He returned to school, attending the University of Utah, to finish the necessary classes for his teacher's license.
Adam’s work history includes a wide range of occupations. In the field of commercial art, Adam worked for Griffin/Weirich Advertising and Design as a graphic designer while still going to school. As a freelance illustrator, Adam has taken assignments from local magazines and publishers including Park City LodeStar Magazine, the Ensign, Gold Leaf Publishing, and Aspen Books.
Out of school, Adam worked for three years as a trainer and curriculum-developer for an outsourcing company before going to work for Pearson Education. As the Area Director of Electronic Education for the states of Utah, Colorado, Wyoming and Montana, Adam worked with school districts and state offices in implementing early literacy and technology solutions for classrooms.
In 2002, Adam left Pearson to work at the Oakley School as head of the Art Department where he could engage in his great passions, art and teaching. In 2013, after eleven years of teaching at the Oakley School, Adam moved to Providence Hall High School as the Visual Art Department Chair, where he teaches drawing, painting, and DP Art. He also teaches painting classes at The Artist Corner in Orem, Utah.
Adam's teaching philosophy:
"Everyone is an artist. Some people just need help in finding their voice. I am here to be a guide. As students engage in primitive observation, focusing on specific elements, they will train their eyes to see in new ways. By asking the right questions, I will help students use what they already know to explore, discover new information, and build new knowledge. I am a seeing teacher."
"Everyone possesses imagination and imagery that is unique to them. When we read, listen to music, or dream, we all see, in our mind's eye, beautiful images that remain hidden unless we express them through our art. One of the great tragedies in this life is that most people live out their entire life and die, and all of that beauty dies with them, never having been expressed!"
"If you have something to say in your art, SAY IT! Learn to speak clearly. If art is communication, don't mumble."
"No one was born with a paintbrush in their hand. Everyone who is good at art BECAME good at art. If a student has eyes and can hold a pencil, they can learn to draw. Much of visual art is simple math."
Adam considers himself to be something of a renaissance man, which is a nice way of saying he has an extreme case of ADD. He enjoys painting, drawing, sculpture, leather working, woodworking, landscaping, teaching, DIY home repair, fishing, sports, horse training and most recently, gardening. Adam loves to read, and his love of story-telling is evident in his artwork.
Adam and his wife Carla own a small Quarter Horse Ranch in Payson and have two children, Braden and Maya.