Artist Moni Heil
Gypsum, Colorado

Moni Heil graduated with a BFA from the Cleveland Institute of Art, majoring in painting and silversmithing. While at the Institute, she studied portraiture under the legendary portrait artist Joseph Cintron. Heil grew up in Ohio with a fondness for horses that started at an early age. She loved drawing horses and whenever possible they were always the main subject in her school art projects.

Along with her interest in horses, she also had a strong attraction to the American West. Immediately after graduation from the Cleveland Institute, she followed her dream and moved to the Colorado mountains, where she settled into ranch life. It was at this time that her art changed from formal portraiture to portraying the essence of the contemporary western life. Heil was surrounded by horses, livestock, Border Collies and wildlife, all of which inspired her art. Her paintings are noted for their unusual strong composition, power of light, and capturing the fundamental nature of her subject.

Heil married and started a family while continuing to paint. Although most of her work at this time was commissioned, she exhibited her art in local shows and galleries around the state. For a period, she painted commissioned interior and exterior murals depicting western and wildlife themes. Her murals drew a lot of attention. She was featured in local papers The Vail Trail and The Eagle Valley Enterprise. The highlight of this time was when the NBC Denver affiliate did a feature on her murals which later aired nationwide. In the late 1990’s, Heil gave up the “walls” to return to the canvas. She has paintings and murals in corporate and private collections throughout the United States.

Moni Heil resides in Gypsum, Colorado with her husband Steve Howard. They ride and train their horses in the style of the old California Vaqueros, which promotes fine horsemanship and traditional livestock handling techniques. She most often works from her own photographs which reflect the lifestyle and horses that she and her husband share.

MONI HEIL: FINE WESTERN OIL PAINTINGS SEEN HERE

2008
Cowgirl Up! www.cowgirlupart.com
Desert Caballeros Western Museum
People’s Choice Award for “In Good Hands”.
Wickenburg, Arizona

Colorado Governor's Invitational
Loveland, Colorado

2007
Cheyenne Frontier Days/Old West Museum Western Spirit Art Show
Cheyenne, Wyoming

Phippen Museum of Western Art Show
Prescott, Arizona

21st Annual Draft Horse Classic/Art At The Classic
Grass Valley, California

2006
Cheyenne Frontier Days/Old West Museum Western Spirit Art Show
Cheyenne, Wyoming

Blackhawk Gallery
Saratoga, Wyoming

Phippen Museum of Western Art Show
Prescott, Arizona

Beaver Creek Arts Festival
Beaver Creek, Colorado

Two Woman Art Show/Blackhawk Gallery
Saratoga, Wyoming

Jackson Hole Art Festival at Teton Village
Jackson Hole, Wyoming

20th Annual Draft Horse Classic/Art At The Classic
Grass Valley, California
*2nd Place Oils – “Drag Racing”

2005
Phippen Museum of Western Art Show
Prescott, Arizona,

Western States Horse Expo
Coloma, California

American Academy of Equine Art, Fall Open Juried Exhibition
Lexington, Kentucky

Meeker Classic International Art Show