SCENES OF EVERYDAY LIFE are among Presse’s favorite subjects, and she uses lighting and rich color to find beauty in the ordinary. Showing artistic talent since she was a young child, Heide earned a BFA in graphic design. After working in advertising for several years painting became her primary focus, first in watercolor, and then oils. Born in Germany and raised in Louisiana, Presse has also lived in Texas, Michigan, Florida, and currently makes her home in Cincinnati, Ohio with her husband JIm. Heide recently created a large group of drawings and oil paintings based on an 1848 Oregon Trail journal, which became an exhibition traveling to three museums. She published a book We Set Our Faces Westward in 2024 which is based on the sketchbook she created for her Oregon Trail project.

Notable Awards and Achievements
2025       Perseverance, A Woman’s Journey West, solo exhibition, The James Museum of Western & Wildlife Art, St. Petersburg, Florida
2024       We Set Our Faces Westward…One Woman’s Journey 1839-1848, solo exhibition, Steamboat Art Museum, Steamboat Springs, Colorado
2024       Book published, We Set Our Faces Westward, Paintings and Drawings by Heide Presse
2023       Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art, Quest for the West, Artists’ Choice Award
2023       We Set Our Faces Westward…One Woman’s Journey 1839-1848, solo exhibition, Booth Western Art Museum, Cartersville, Georgia
2021       Buffalo Bill Center of the West, Buffalo Bill Art Show, People’s Choice Award
2020       The Epoch Times, “Artist Heide Presse Paints American History: Journal by Journal.” Feature Article
2019       American Women Artists, Looking West, Richard Galusha and Shirley Stocks Purchase Award, Steamboat Art Museum permanent collection
2019       Steamboat Art Museum, We Set Our Faces Westward, solo exhibition, Steamboat Springs, Colorado
2017       Desert Caballeros Western Museum, Cowgirl Up!, Director’s Choice Award for Body of Work
2016       Hockady Museum of Art, A Timeless Legacy: Women Artists of Glacier National Park, Hilda Lee Hatlen Purchase Award for Permanent Collection
2016       Hockaday Museum of Art, A Timeless Legacy: Women Artists of Glacier National Park, Lucile Van Slyck Award for Best Presentation of Three Works
2006       National Park Service, Arts for the Parks, Founders’ Favorite Award
2005       National Park Service, Arts for the Parks, Judges’ Choice Award
2002       National Park Service, Arts for the Parks, Grand Prize Winner Mini 50, and Collectors’ Choice Award
2001       National Park Service, Arts for the Parks, Region I Winner, and San Antonio Missions NHP Purchase Award
1997       National Park Service, Arts for the Parks, Collectors’ Choice Award, and Founders’ Favorite Award

www.heidepresse.com