Hello! I'm Heather Bradford McCoy, a decorative illustrator/artist working from my home in the mysterious and beautiful Trinity Point area of Swoope, Virginia. My work is inspired by the natural world and the stories that seem to live just beneath its surface—botanical forms, animals, folklore, and imagery that feels as though it belongs to another time.

I've always been drawn to things that are a little intricate, a little unusual, and sometimes a little mysterious. A leaf can become a pattern, an animal can take on the character of a creature from an old tale, and a familiar subject can begin to feel like something imagined. I love exploring that space between the real and the fantastical.

My art takes shape through woodburning, oil pastel, and gouache. Each medium offers its own way of working with color, texture, light, and detail, but I find myself returning to the same interests: nature, ornament, rhythm, and the quiet magic of things that invite a closer look.

THE ART OF CRAFTING SLOWLY

I tend to be a slow creator. Sometimes I spend as much time working out a design as I do creating the finished piece, and the processes I enjoy most ask for patience and attention. Whether I'm building a woodburned piece dot by dot, layering an oil pastel painting, or working through the colors and details of a gouache illustration, I like the way the art gradually reveals itself.

Pattern and repetition are a big part of that process. I find something almost meditative in the making, and I'm fascinated by the way small marks, shapes, and colors can come together to create movement, balance, and a sense of life.

More than anything, I hope my work offers a little of the feeling I find in making it: an invitation to look longer, notice the details, and perhaps step for a moment into a world that feels both familiar and enchanted.

THE WORLDS THAT INSPIRE ME

I've always been drawn to the romance of old tales and imagined worlds—stories and places that seem to hold a little more magic than the everyday world. Arthurian legends, Tolkien's Middle-earth, the forests of Narnia, and the old-world atmosphere of castles, taverns, and medieval villages have all stayed with me. So have the quieter worlds of Anne of Green Gables and Little Women, where nature, home, and the small details of life can feel just as enchanting.

I love the idea of nature spirits and elementals, dragons and mythical creatures, and the way folklore gives the natural world a personality of its own. The ornament and flowing forms of the Arts and Crafts movement and Art Nouveau also speak to me, as do Renaissance and classical music and the medieval-inspired music of Blackmore's Night.

These influences don't usually appear as direct references in my work. They're more like a collection of things I've carried with me over the years, finding their way into the patterns, creatures, botanical forms, and imagined worlds I create. I think that's why I'm happiest making art that feels a little earthy, a little old-fashioned, and perhaps just a touch enchanted.