Ric Heitzman (1953-) lives and works in Los Angeles, CA.
Born in Dallas, Texas, Heitzman’s DIY spirit led him to create his own artistic path. While studying applied arts at Texas A&M, his radio show “APEWEEK” (with Gary Panter & Jay Cotton) expanded into live music, puppetry and street theatre, catching the attention of a mysterious Hollywood impresario (Tex Henson) who hired the artist for an animation project. Ric thrived on the work and headed to the School of Art Institute of Chicago where he received his masters in filmmaking and eventually landed in New York City making graphics at ABC News. He was soon tapped by his old friend Gary Panter to develop a new TV show for kids called “Pee-Wee’s Playhouse”. Heitzman co-designed, produced animation and provided voices for the shows’ five seasons, earning 4 of the shows’ 15 Emmy awards along the way. Following the success of Pee-Wee, Ric took on a flurry of film & tv projects and teaching gigs while maintaining an artistic practice that has kept his art on the walls of galleries & museums dating back to 1975 in Texas and including a solo show at La Luz De Jesus in 1989. In recent years art making has become his main focus. His recent book of ballpoint pen drawings celebrates a practice honed over decades and ready for fresh eyeballs.
