If you’re looking for Heidi Long, you will find her in the visual arts building of Santa Fe High, sharing her love for art with her students and building a ceramics program.

Ms. Long teaches Art 1 as well as her favorite, Ceramics 1, 2 & 3. “I’m excited to share what I have learned over the years about clay — it’s my specialty,” she said. She would like to show students that they can do anything with clay.

Ms. Long’s introduction to teaching came through her son. “When my son was in sixth grade, his Art teacher didn’t know much about clay. She asked me to visit the class and help out,” she explained.

Since then, Ms. Long has taught kindergarten through 12^th grade. She taught in Phoenix for nine years and then taught in Taiwan for a year. She moved back to the states when her daughter was pregnant so she could help out.

Ms. Long’s was a self-employed animal artist for 20 years before she began teaching. Her art can be found in some permanent collections, including the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. (In the art world, she is known by her maiden name, Heidi Uotila.)

In her spare time, Ms. Long trains her Doberman, who has a BH, a title that means the dog has passed a combination of obedience and temperament tests. The dog performs in front of judges off-leash.

Ms. Long is originally from Columbus, OH, and her parents are from Finland. She attended The Ohio State University.