Heidi Conrod is an Ottawa-based artist, born in 1970 in Montreal. In 1993 she received her Bsc (Biology) from the University of Ottawa. Since then she has studied painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, and ceramics at the Ottawa School of Art and the University of Ottawa. Her work has been exhibited in Ottawa, Toronto, Halifax, Gatineau and Vancouver.

Heidi's work ranges from abstract moody landscapes, to intimate and ethereal portraits and printmaking. Her paintings examine the relationship between space and depth, lightness and dark, presence and absence. The subject of her work is found as much in their technique as in the depicted images. The painting is grounded in the attempt to probe the physicality of the materials. As she paints, ideas, thoughts impressions are built up and then broken down. The works develop slowly over time through a process of layering, scraping, wiping off. Working primarily in oil and wax, alternating layers of paint, glaze and wax, adding and subtracting, allows for the unpredictable qualities of the medium to create an alchemic tension where deeper levels of meaning are slowly revealed.

Education:
2002 University of Ottawa. Dept. Visual Arts
1999 Ottawa School of Art. Diploma (Printmaking)
1994 University of Ottawa. BSC (Honors Biology)


Solo Art Exhibitions:
2009 “New Portraits” Studio 21. Halifax, Nova Scotia.
2008 "Waxing Poetic: Landscape Paintings" Dale Smith Gallery. Ottawa,Ontario.
2008 "On The Verge" Katharine Mulherin Contemporary Art Projects. Toronto,Ontario.
2007 "Landscapes" Trunk Gallery. Vancouver,British Columbia.
2006 "Hidden Valley" Katharine Mulherin Contemporary Art Projects. Toronto, Ontario.
2005 "Lost River" Artguise Gallery. Ottawa,Ontario.
2005 "New Works" Katharine Mulherin Contemporary Art Projects. Toronto, Ontario.
2005 "En Pleine Face" La Maison de la Culture. Gatineau, Quebec.
2004 "About Face" Dale Smith Gallery. Ottawa, Ontario.
2004 "New Works" Artguise Gallery. Ottawa, Ontario. .


Selected Group Exhibitions:
2009 “STIMULUS” Ottawa Art Gallery Annual Art Auction. Ottawa, Ontario.
2009 “New Year, New Works” Dale Smith Gallery. Ottawa, Ontario.
2008 "DECADE" Katharine Mulherin Contemporary Art Projects. Toronto, Ontario.
2008 "Harbinger" Dale Smith Gallery. Ottawa, Ontario.
2008 "XX" Ottawa Art Gallery Annual Art Auction. Ottawa, Ontario. 2007 "Colour, Line, Form" Trunk Gallery. Vancouver, British Columbia. 2007 "Piggy Tales" Centre d'exposition L'imagier. Aylmer, Quebec. 2007 "Splash" Ottawa Art Gallery Annual Auction. Ottawa Art Gallery. Ottawa, Ontario.
2006 "Kinder". Amy Thompson and Heidi Conrod. Dale Smith Gallery. Ottawa, Ontario.
2005 "You dont wanna miss that shit" Contemporary painters at the Gladstone Hotel. Toronto.
2005 "Russian Dolls" Artguise Gallery. Ottawa, Ontario.
2004 "Breathing Space" Katharine Mulherin Contemporary Art Projects. Toronto, Ontario.
2002 "Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition" Toronto, Ontario.
2001 "Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition" Toronto, Ontario.


Press:
2007 “Portraits Reveal Child Inside the Soldier” Ottawa Citizen, July
2006 "Critic's Pick" Ottawa Citizen, July
2005 "Conrod Has a Keen Eye For Painting Children" Ottawa Citizen, June
2005 "Agent Provocateur" Xpress, June
1999 "Waxing Nostalgic" Capital City, January