Never viewed by an audience, this first solo exhibit by Heather Deogracia uses a blind contour abstract technique or best described as figurative illustration carried out single ink line from beginning to end with her eyes closed. With over 50 images created during her free time (usually starting at 4 a.m.), her drawing addiction intent is to create entire stories from one image of line and color theory.
On the face of the front page of a Sunday Feature article of the Midland Daily News in October of last year, Heather Deogracia describes how art saved her from suicidal ideation and manic psychosis from her brain disease of bipolar. Deogracia earned a double major Bachelor of Science degree in Medical Illustration in Pre-Medicine and Fine Art from California State University in San Bernardino. Her professional career includes Award-Winning Graphic Layout and Design, International Art Director and a Continuity Director in Radio Broadcasting. Around the end of her twenties, she had the first manic episode of psychosis and was sent to a Psyche Ward and prescribed medicine by Psychiatrists. After over 10 visits to psyche wards and more medicine to keep track of, she had a very rough time to find a balance emotionally. Fortunately four years ago, the breakthrough of her lifetime occurred when she could concentrate on art material and found an addiction in producing Award-Winning Studio Fine Art. With over 30 displays of various realistic and abstract images in fundraisers, restaurant venues and art exhibits, she has the experience and material to present for a new audience. Her brand new abstract illustrations in IHuman is a chance for a viewer to witness that mental illness must not stop an individual from creative behavior even in times of depression and mania.
On the first day of my job, I walk into a production studio to hand in paperwork. A young gentleman stands up to shake my hand when I walk into the room. "Wow! You are tall." he states. I point to my heels of my shoes. "Wow! You are short." Laughter lights up the room.
Matt Damon
San Francisco Clear Channel Radio
With an electric soul of an artist, Heather Deogracia, has an interesting personality that uses her manic branches of her mind to express her sense of humor, expand the creative hourly illustration addiction and continually read big books about artistic principles, elements and glorious techniques to feed her intellectual capabilities.
“With a splash of color and chemicals in my brain, I have to clean it out once a day or it must flash flood my other organs.”
Heather Deogracia
Proud to start staging a background of her latest achievements, Heather was on the front page Sunday Feature in the Midland Daily News on Oct. 19, 2016 and is an Award-Winning Fine Artist for the state-wide competition Legacy Trust Award Collection for the past three years in a row. She displayed in over 30 exhibits and fundraisers in the tri-city area over the past four years. She has earned a 2017 Leadership of Bay County Achievement Award from Studio 23 and a Midland County Art Letourneau Award for "Collaboration and Creativity in Community Support".
A harshly educated woman, Deogracia spent five years to earn a double major Bachelor’s Degree of Science in Medical Illustration in Pre-Medicine and Fine Art at California State University in San Bernardino. At the same time period, she held down three jobs as an Intern for the District Attorney, Graphics Editor for the college weekly newspaper and created the Peer Health Education program.
Her artistic talents covered in the fine studio art requirements included painting, color theory, graphic design, photography, figure drawing, advanced drawing, watercolor, sculpture, illustration and art portfolio assignments to keep work organized. In the sciences, she has a background in chemistry, organic chemistry, biochemistry, advanced human anatomy and psychology, biology, genetics, comparative animal psychology, marine biology and medical microbiology.
Currently, she has been an art instructor for workshops for the past year for Creative 360, teaching private art lessons and writing a graphic novel soon to complete by the beginning of 2018 named Heather Hurts Inside: Illustrations of a Broken Human. The new true story is about a suicidal bipolar woman that is prescribed Ritalin at the age of 38 and she reverts back to her glory days of her life. The truth is that no one knows the past is killing her mind.
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Heather Deogracia 
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