By Christine Hamelin
with photography by Bernard Clark
Heidi Wallace Patenaude has spent much of her life wondering what role art should play in it. A talented, thoughtful woman, she’s never afraid to try new experimental genres or techniques but often feels “underqualified” when art opportunities come her way. “Somehow, I just manage to figure things out,” she says. “I tend to say yes to things that spark my interest, and I try to see them through.”
She was always creative. A middle child, Heidi grew up in Bayridge with her sisters, Heather and Holly. Their mom, Sharon, was a secretary at KGH and “dabbled in sewing and tole painting and even attempted large floral paintings. It was a good example, seeing her do it.” Their father, Bill, sold real estate and then moved into a career in logistics and trucking; at 75, he still works. “He’s been a real entrepreneurial role model for me,” says Heidi.
Heidi remembers being an average student — “no trouble, easy, quiet” — but in art class, she, like her older sister, Heather, got noticed for her talent. At QECVI, they both studied with Karen Peperkorn, the beloved teacher who founded the school’s Creative Arts Focus program. “It was the most formative year of my life,” Heidi recalls. “We worked in all the mediums and tried things out.” The students had the usual year-end show, organized by Karen, at an empty store in the Kingston Centre. . . .
