About Chrissie Heughan SSA
Chrissie Heughan is a versatile artist who works with a broad range of media, such as hand-cast paper, collage, printmaking, and sculpture.
After graduating from Edinburgh College of Art in 1995, Chrissie pursued her own work and career as a professional artist and freelance tutor. She taught at Edinburgh College of Art between 1995-2012, lecturing on papermaking, printmaking, mixed media, and many other related subjects.
Qualifications and training
Chrissie Heughan attended Dumfries and Galloway College of Technology as well as Edinburgh College of Art. There, Heughan studied in their undergraduate program for Fine Arts with a focus on portfolio-art and photography.
In addition to being a professional member of the Society of Scottish Artists, she has served on many selections, hanging, and arranging committees for them. She also serves on committees for the Fife Dunfermline Print Workshop. Her work and professional development have earned her several awards, including from Creative Scotland (formerly the Scottish Arts Council), the City of Edinburgh Council, and The Worshipful Company of Founders for studies in bronze casting. Chrissie has been awarded grants to travel the world and develop her craft in more depth. These have enabled her to spend time in India, Japan, and America working with paper and print.
Chrissie was chosen to be one of six international artists to participate in the Paper Village Art Project. She learned under the tutelage of masters and returned in 2006 for Street Museum.
How Old Is Chrissie Heughan; What Is Her Ethnicity?
Although Heughan’s date of birth hasn’t been revealed, it is presumed she is now in her 60s or 70s. She is an artist, Gallery educator, and maker of Scottish descent.
Chrissie always feels like a foreigner in her home country. She and her late ex-husband were a part of the hippie community Gandalf’s Garden in London. They raised their son Sam who was born in Scotland.
It is inspired by J.R.R Tolkien, the author of ‘The Lord of the Rings’.
Heughan Former Husband And Sons
Although not much is known about his ex-husband who left Chrissie and her two sons when Sam was only three, this man is still reported to be Heughan’s former spouse.
After leaving her husband, Scottish paper artist Chrissie Heughan had to raise two young children all on her own. Luane Lee writes that Heughan raised two sons in rural Scotland from the time Sam was a toddler.
The British craftswoman did odd jobs to support the family and pursue higher education. Work included shoe-making and an undergraduate degree.
Chrissie would meet her husband again years later, Sam being one of the names they’d choose for their son. He was living with leukemia at the time and Chrissie’s previous partner ended up succumbing to the illness a few years after meeting.
Relationship With Sam Heughan
Chrissie Heughan is also the mother of British actor, Sam Heughan. The Scottish actor starred in ‘Outlander’, a Starz TV series that was well-received for its first and second series. He also picked up a Saturn Award for Best Actor on Television.
Outlander’s Sam Heughan’s mother, Chrissie became an elaborate artist with her own fan base over the years. She tends to stay out of the spotlight on social media but is still admired within her industry. The artist has exhibited and lectured around the world and her work is currently in collections, including those in Scotland and abroad.
After graduating from the College of Art, Sam’s mother pursued her own work and career as a working artist and tutor. Chrissie teaches at various art institutions, lecturing in papermaking, printmaking, mixed media, and sketchbook work.
Heughan’s paper-making workshop introduces participants to the ancient art of papermaking from start to finish including the process of turning plant fibers into pulp, forming sheets and couching them, and finally drying them in a frame.
How Did Chrissie Heughan Begin Her Art Journey?
A couple of years ago, Chrissie got into paper and paper pulp while experimenting with various methods of paper production. Later, Heughan studied Art and Design, as well as Fine Art at Dundee.
She has a B.A. (Hons) degree from Edinburgh College of Art, with majors in Drawing and Printmaking, which she studied from 1995 to 2001. Afterward, she did residencies in Mino, Japan (2001) and Vermont Studio Centre Residency.
She joined six international artists in 2001 for the Paper Village Art Project. There she studied papermaking with a master papermaker. In the process, she also had an opportunity to learn from other experts in their field.
She has also taken courses from the Bronze Casting, Royal Academy, the Worshipful Company of Founders, and Picadilly.
Heughan’s Beginning As A Paper Maker
Chrissie was initially using richly dyed paper for a series of dynamic printed hangings back in 1996. He ran AS SOME workshops and a series of paper-making sessions at Waverley Care Trust, especially for people with HIV.
Since 1997, Sam’s mother has been running a studio at Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop. In the beginning, she would work with paper pulps to form surfaces before starting to print, collage on or build new forms.
In 2005 Ms. Heughan began producing some bronze casts of the fragile paper origami she was folding, contrasting it with the weight of metal.
She returned to Japan in 2006 to be a part of the Street Museum, an international exhibition in Mino and Gifu City.
What Does Chrissie Heughan Do Now?
Chrissie has had a wide range of experience in her career as a papermaker, which is what makes her knowledgeable and effective. For example, she is an elected member of the Society of Scottish Artists.
She’s been involved in many selections, hanging, and arranging committees through Fife Dunfermline Print Workshop and as a committee member.
Chrissie is often involved in projects where artists work together. For example, she helped to create a paper that specific creatives in Australia could use. She also oversees projects with artists from Japan-Scotland exchanges.
Chrissie also teaches part-time as a college graduate. She has offered workshops in papermaking, printmaking, and mixed media to adults and children alike that have included those with disabilities.
Chrissie Heughan Prizes, And Awards
Chrissie has been winning accolades and awards for her work since the 2000s. One of her earliest was a bronze casting award in 2005, so it’s really no surprise that we love working with her today.
The following year in 2006, she won the Professional Development Award. The next year, she received the Friends of the RSA Edinburgh Award and was also awarded the Royal Scottish Academy’s Friends Award.
Chrissie has had an award-winning career and was most recently honored with the Scottish Arts Council Crafts Award in Edinburgh. In 2010 Heughan received bronze casting honors, and her study of Japanese paper-making earned her a commendation from the Institute of British Architects.
Chrissie Heughan Social media Accounts
Instagram: instagram.com
FACEBOOK: facebook.com
Linkedin: linkedin.com
Twitter: twitter.com
