Friends say Chan's heart is as big as her artistic talents

By Tommie Brown
Staff Writer

If you’re a fan of Pinterest, it’s more than likely you’ve come across a creation made by Heatherlee Chan. 

The Etsy phenomenon and 10-year Menifee resident has used her art and her personality to touch countless lives, both in Menifee and beyond.

With her painting works sold by companies such as Trader Joe’s, Great Big Canvas via stores such as Home Depot, and publishing illustration for Scholastics, Chan’s influence and talent has spread far beyond Menifee’s city limits to across the country.


But it is the people in our community that she has personally touched the most. That's why she has been honored as a Menifee 24/7 Hometown Hero.

“From the moment I met her, she has been a positive force in my life,” says Mandie Nuanes, longtime friend of Heatherlee, and the one who nominated her for this award. “I nominated Heatherlee because I can count on encouragement to get me through and onto the next stage in life. Heroes have impeccable timing and a keen sense of when someone is in distress. Heatherlee has these abilities.”

Nuanes isn’t the only person who feels that way.

“When Heatherlee sees something that needs to be done or she’s asked something of her, she does it so graciously. She acts like giving out her talents is nothing – like it’s never a problem,” says another friend of Chan, Tonette Carreon.

Chan’s talent, outside of her own career, has been lent to Menifee in numerous ways. From her involvement for years with Menifee Valley Church of the Nazarene to her time spent at her children’s school, Evans Ranch Elementary, volunteering for things like face painting for the school's recent Fall festival, Chan has offered herself to each community she is a part of.



However, one of her most noteworthy causes in Menifee has been her involvement in the Menifee Union School District teacher protest movements. Being a substitute teacher in Menifee before her art took off and the mother of two children in Menifee schools, Chan felt a strong relationship and responsibility to support Menifee teachers’ demands.

“The teachers of Menifee have kept this struggle to themselves for a long time. They have stoically gone to battle year after year, and as parents, the majority of us didn’t realize,” said Chan.

Starting Facebook pages and conversational groups between parents to raise awareness of the issues happening between teachers and the school district over basic pay requirements being ignored in contracts, Chan took it upon herself to stand up for a wrong she saw being done.

Lending her talent to make picket signs and her voice at school board meetings, Chan was a forerunner in the movement.

“Our teachers sincerely love our children and that’s why they stay when they could go somewhere else to teach. I wanted them to know how much we appreciate what they do for us and make them feel supported,” said Chan.

The thing about Heatherlee,” says Carreon, “is that her art, her smile, and her constant encouragement to everyone she’s around inspires us to be the best people we can be. She inspires everyone to believe anything is possible.”

And Chan feels the same way toward the community.

“I love the balance between community and nature,” said Chan when talking about Menifee’s role of inspiration in her art. “A lot of my paintings embody friendship and that’s one of the most beautiful things I have gained living here. Some people might marvel at the city lights and skyscrapers, but these wide open fields and grand sunsets win my heart.”

Juggling the pressures of having a successful artistic career with having three kids – one being a brand new baby -- and a recent engagement, Chan has made her presence in her community and friends’ lives a priority.

“Heatherlee painted, designed, and put together an entire website, business card, and a logo for my home daycare because she said she 'knew how and had done this for other friends before' and charged nothing for it,” says Carreon. “That’s kindness.”

From her sparkly shoes to her famous fields of pastel flowers, Chan has water-colored her way into the hearts of everyone around her, with her hopes of spreading magic wherever she goes.

“Since I met her,” says Nuanes, “her smile and positivity have never waned, even when mine has. She is one of my best friends. The positivity and encouragement she offers me, she gladly and willing gives it out to whomever will receive it.

"Menifee is a hot place and it seems as if the sun is always shining here, but Heatherlee brings a light to Menifee that is beyond solar power. Her shine is infections. Her sparkle can be seen in her work, her kids, and her home. And for me, I can feel it miles away.”