Heidi Alonzo is inspired by patterns and symmetry found in living, growing things. Her mixed-media work often explores infinite patterns of geometric symmetry and overlaid on growth rings of trees. In her art, she likes to combine patterns and illustrations of memories and life moments that define who we are. Heidi Alonzo has lived on the Central Coast of California since 1973. She earned a BFA in painting and drawing from San Jose State University in 1992 and has been the visual arts teacher and the visual and performing arts department chair at St. Francis High School in Watsonville, Ca. since 2004. While she finds guiding others to discover their own artistic abilities fulfilling, in the fall of 2020 she felt compelled to push the boundaries of her own art creation and enrolled as an MFA pictorial arts student at San Jose State University, earning her MFA in 2023. She believes that teaching and learning are intrinsically connected and by doing both she hopes to remain contemporarily relevant and enjoy longevity and happiness.