Heather Roy

Painter

In oil and encaustic, I paint disconcerting or unfamiliar scenes where figures might appear, and invite the viewer to create their own sense of meaning from their life experiences. Always intrigued by human behaviour, I find in figurative work a means of exploring the enigmas of individual emotional experience.

Heather Roy grew up in Montreal and studied art at Dawson College. After obtaining a B.A. in philosophy from Trent University in Peterborough, Roy trained to be a teacher at The Institute of Child Study at University of Toronto, and taught for 27 years, where she placed a great emphasis on art making in her program, and began her own art practice. Upon retirement Roy has been able to devote more time to creating work, taking courses at Toronto School of Art, and being a member of an artists’ collective (the Colborne Art Gallery). As well, Roy work with two art hives through Green Wood Coalition, a local organization for people on the margins of society, using art as a means to help recovering/addicts and people suffering from mental health issues to find a voice. She believes art is about compassion and empathy for others, particularly those lost in the complexities of our rapidly evolving society.