Heidi Thompson was born in Canada in 1956 After graduating high school she moved to Switzerland and after a year learning the language she was accepted into the Kunstgewerbeschule (University of Art and Design) in Zürich. After completing a four-year art and photography program, she earned a Swiss Diploma for Professional Photography. Pursuing her passion for painting, Thompson moved to Germany and apprenticed with the Nürnberg artist Oskar Koller. Koller recommended that she continue her education at the Akademie der Bildene Künste Nürnberg. Thompson was accepted and studied painting for one year under the guidance of Professor Ernst Weil. However, seeking a more traditional training, she moved to Budapest and studied at the Hungarian University of Fine Arts (Magyar Képzőművészeti Egyetem) under the instruction of Ignacs Kokas. After completing the first year of their Master’s program, Heidi returned to Vernon where she worked as a photographer, publisher and painter. Heidi Thompson has been painting for more than 40 years and exhibits her work in Canada, USA and Europe.