Heidi Thompson was born in Vernon, B.C. Canada. After graduating high school she moved to Europe to study art. From 1975-1979 she attended the University of Art & Design in Zürich earning a Swiss Diploma for Professional Photography. After graduating, Thompson moved to Nürnberg and apprenticed with German painter Oskar Koller. Koller recommended that she continue her art education at the Akademie der Buildene Künste Nürnberg. Thompson was accepted and spent one year under the guidance of Professor Ernst Weil, However, seeking a more traditional art school, Thompson moved to Budapest to study painting with Professor Kokas Ignac at the Hungarian State University for Fine Art. In 1982, Thompson returned to Canada and worked as a freelance photographer, painter and book publisher. In 2001 she earned her BFA and Teaching Certificate from the University of Victoria. Since the early 1980's Thompson has worked as a photographer, publisher, teacher and painter. She is married to Edward Thompson and they have two children. Heidi Thompson currently paints full-time and exhibits her work in Europe, Canada and the USA.