Heidi Gendron

Heidi Gendron is a photo-realistic artist whose love of nature and the Native American culture is colorfully portrayed in her artwork. Her affinity for wildlife can be seen by her vibrant use of colored pencil. Whenever possible, she photographs her subjects, enabling her to acquire detail and depth without losing the spirit of the work. She seeks to show her viewers the true nature and ways of the animals she draws, to instill new love, respect, and admiration of the natural world.

Growing up in a rural New England town, Heidi learned from friends and grade school teachers, and took as many classes as she could at the local community college. She focused on wildlife at an early age, experimenting in mediums and styles on her own. Unable to afford the specialized institutions for further formal training, she relied on trail and error, and her mother's devoted advice as one of the most taxing critics she has yet faced, and the most supportive. Her major sources of behavioral and physiological information have been the Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, and The National Geographic's documentaries. They have also been her sources of inspiration.

Heidi studies the social structures about her subjects, particularly wolves, whose social order and dedication to their pack members is something to be envied by us all. A mother and pup is not just a couple of animals, but instead, an example to our own mothers that love, learning and frustration are not limited to the human experience.

"If my work does nothing more than to create an interest to learn more about the Earth and it's creatures, than I am pleased," says Mrs. Gendron. "I can ask for no greater reward than to have the chance to share my love of our Mother Earth with others."

A new artist in the field, Heidi is currently represented by Black Mesa of Woodbury, Ct. She has also sold (under her maiden name Heidi Simon) original works at a local arts and crafts festival, the Gas Ball in Danbury, Ct.