Heather Balchunas, originally from Westfield, MA received her Associate Degree from Greenfield Community College in 1994 and a BFA in illustration from Massachusetts College of Art in 1997. Some of her artistic influences are Georgia O’Keefe, Kandinsky, Edward Hopper, and Brian Froud. Balchunas feels it is this diverse mix that motivates, inspires, and encourages her to explore.

Led into other directions within the art community, Balchunas has found further creative stimulation through her position at the Puppet Showplace Theatre in Brookline. To her, everything is relative. Whether it is puppet construction, theater, set design, or painting, one creative process influences another.

Despite the many creative outlets, drawing is still Balchunas' first love while investing herself into each unique project drives her growth as an artist. "It is all about the process," she says. "The learning and the struggling to find inspiration so that by the end you've enjoyed the journey."