Octopus tentacles reach across a deep purple surface. A mountain range rises. Birch bark unrolls across space. These are the images portrayed in murals, inside homes, and on the outside walls of buildings - all painted by artist Heidi Weiss. She not only paints on her own but also heads Spruce Interiors, an interior painting business bringing color to favorite spaces across the region. Who would think that all this colorful beauty could arise from incidents in which Weiss nearly drowned—twice?
“I think I was really encouraged from a young age to make,” says Weiss. “Be it out in the yard making mud pies, making drawings, whatever. I was taught that that was a form of expression, so when things got weird—I didn’t know how to say, ‘I’m happy, I’m sad,’ I could then turn to art. When I had my near-drowning experience, that definitely put an imprint on me. I put it on the back burner for many, many years. It was almost one of those repressed memories. Then one day, I was just thinking about what am I going to make, something I know about, and that fear came back again.”
Art became a kind of therapy as Weiss worked her fears into her painting. Years later, when a similar experience happened to her as she was caught in a rip current in Lake Michigan, Weiss again turned to art. But it was not the only purpose for her creating.
“When I finished my undergraduate studies, I became an interior painter,” Weiss says. “Initially, it was just a means to an end to fuel my art practice, or whatever else I had going on at the time. And that turned into a bit of a passion project for me. I love dealing with different people and improving their spaces. I am trained in art, and I have a love for colors, so anytime someone wants to talk about it, it really just feeds me.”
Weiss established her painting business, Spruce Interiors, in 2012, specializing in interior painting, color consulting, and specialty finishes. She works with other artists on indoor and outdoor projects around the Kalamazoo area community.
Weiss earned Bachelor of Fine Arts and Master of Art in Painting degrees from Western Michigan University, then continued her studies at the Cranbrook Academy of Art, where she earned a Master of Fine Arts in Fiber. Her outdoor murals can be found on the downtown Kalamazoo mall, Amy Zanes storefront, and on Portage Road through Bike Friendly, partnering with Chafe Hensley.
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