Naples inspires Amy Moglia Heuerman’s life and art. Since moving to the town full time in 2013 after many years of extended visits, the lifelong artist has made a substantial impact on both the art scene and in philanthropic circles, achieving recognition for her paintings, generosity and ebullient spirit.
The versatile artist originally gained national recognition as a successful children’s illustrator of games, puzzles, toys, and books through her Bear Hug Designs company, which she retired after a 20-plus-year run upon moving to Naples. Living close to the Gulf awakened her innate passion for sky and sea, now fully realized in her stunning seascape canvases. Her paintings are often oversized, richly layered abstracts that evoke serenity. Dominated by a palette of blues in infinite hues, the paintings invite viewers to emotionally respond to the many moods and colors of clouds and rolling tides, rendered with her mastery of palette knives, scrapers, and brushes.
The multi-talented artist was also recently moved during the pandemic and resulting quarantine to paint a series of whimsical figures that express the “alone but together” zeitgeist of the times. The solitary figures, pictured singly on the canvas or in physically distanced groups, have been greeted enthusiastically by the local media and art collectors.
Heuerman’s ethos for giving and community involvement has led her to donate her time and talent to organizations such as Guadalupe Center. She was a fixture at the Immokalee-based Center for three months while hand-painting a 30-foot mural of a flowering garden in the children’s reading room, which is now named in Heuerman’s honor. She was a featured artist on the 2019 Artis Naples’ annual studio tour, and in several auction events organized by the Legal Aid Society. She also benefits the American Cancer Society and the Naples Botanical Garden, where she serves on the Sustaining Leadership Council.