Paintings by Heather Berthelette

About Heather Berthelette

Heather Berthelette is a fine artist known for her playfully imaginative paintings inspired by the transformative power of fairy tales. Her work blends intuition, memory, and symbolic imagery through the use of traditional oil paints and dry media.

Raised on a small farm surrounded by woods, Heather spent her childhood among the trees, always dreaming and pretending she was somewhere else. She draws inspiration from these early memories, classic storybook illustrations, and the like-minded dreamers who came before her.

Heather holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth and a Master of Science in Arts Administration and Cultural Entrepreneurship from Northeastern University in Boston. Her artwork has been exhibited in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. This marks her first group exhibition in Paris – appearing as both artist and curator.

She resides in both southeastern Massachusetts and Paris, France. She is currently developing a new series of fairy tale paintings inspired by her travels to the Black Forest and her ongoing research into the psychoanalysis of myths and fairy tales.

 

Artist Statement

Inspired by the process of traditional cel animation and the charm of storybook pictures, Heather Berthelette creates illustrative oil paintings that echo the fairy tales and imaginative narratives of her youth. Her work begins with storyboard-like sketches that evolve into layered compositions – each a visual tapestry imbued with personal and symbolic meaning. Using bold colours and a playful collage of imagery, Heather explores the magical parallels between lived experiences and the psychological insights woven through classic storytelling. Drawing inspiration from familiar tales, her paintings serve as portals where memory and metaphor merge to create transformative worlds of hope, resilience, and healing. Viewers are invited to uncover the hidden narratives we each carry and reflect on how the moments of our lives shape our inner worlds. Heather’s paintings remind us that what we seek can be found within, if we remember to look through the eyes of curiosity and wonder.