About Heather
Heather Caunt-Nulton is an internationally certified, fully insured henna artist (aka mehndi designer) based between Boston, MA and Providence, RI, providing beautiful traditional and contemporary henna designs throughout New England and beyond.
Heather has been a henna artist since 1999. She has been doing art in general for as long as she can remember, thanks to a very supportive and creatively nurturing family. As an honors graduate of the Anthropology program at Boston University (2002), her passion for the art of henna comes from a deep respect for the cultures that use henna traditionally, and she is continually furthering her research on henna traditions.
A Career Rooted in Henna Art and Education
Heather was the founder and hostess of the Henna Gathering (RIP), once tied with Neeta Sharma’s Spring Fling Henna Conference for the longest-running henna conference worldwide. She teaches workshops for colleges, schools, after-school programs, libraries, and adult education programs, as well as offering private lessons.
Her henna work has been featured at such respected galleries as the Rhode Island School of Design Museum, the Hygienic Art Gallery, the Traina Center for the Arts, and in world-renowned henna artist Riffat Bahar’s exhibit of henna and mehndi art at the Slough Museum in the United Kingdom. Heather’s artwork has also won competitions open to henna artists worldwide.
Her instructional videos have been an inspiration and important source of information for many henna artists in training.
Her books of henna patterns in all styles, many designed specifically for henna beginners, have been published electronically. She is also generous with free henna patterns for artists and visitors to enjoy.
Wanting to provide others with access to the same high-quality henna supplies she uses herself, Heather also opened the online henna and mehndi supply store Artistic Adornment. Heather also runs an artist agency for henna artists throughout the United States, all of whom she is glad to have met personally and worked with many times.
How Heather’s Henna Journey Began
Heather first learned about henna in an anthropology class during her first year of college in 1999. The intricately beautiful patterns of traditional Indian bridal henna immediately captivated her and inspired her to pursue further research into application methods and design elements.
At first, she simply did henna for herself, family, and friends. Eventually, more and more people began inquiring about her work, and she found a spot doing henna weekly at a much-loved, now-closed store called Estas Elementals in Providence, RI.
From there, she began doing bridal henna and weddings on-site at clients’ functions. That was back in the day before everyone had GPS in their car. When navigation systems existed but were still prohibitively expensive, she would call her dad for help with directions if she got lost — her “Guiding Parental System.”
These days, Heather is happy to share her art at many of the premier arts and cultural festivals throughout Southern New England, offer henna for brides and their guests at destination weddings throughout the United States, Mexico, and worldwide, and teach the next generation of henna artists at conferences around the world. These have included her mentor Neeta Sharma’s Spring Fling Henna Conference and Charmaine Burnett’s Henna Circle Australia, among others.
Heather is extremely grateful for how the art of henna has taken her to so many interesting places and helped her meet so many wonderful people. She looks forward to continuing this journey and meeting many more lovely folks.
About Henna
Henna is a natural reddish-brown plant dye used to create beautiful, temporary body art. Henna designs generally last from 1–3 weeks, with approximately 7–10 days being typical.
We take pride in making our henna from scratch using only the finest-quality henna powder, lemon juice, and essential oils.
Learn More About Henna
Henna Care
Learn how to care for your fresh henna design and help develop the richest possible stain.
Henna FAQ
Find answers to common questions about natural henna, application, stains, safety, and more.
About Henna Articles
Explore educational articles about henna, traditions, techniques, designs, and the henna experience.
Heather’s Henna Philosophy
As an anthropology graduate, Heather’s love for henna stems from an interest in and respect for cultural traditions. Innovations that keep things current and relevant are welcomed and encouraged, especially when they come from a place of understanding traditional henna design patterns and ritual practices.
As more people worldwide are able to share their designs easily online, Heather believes it is important to follow changing artistic trends and be able to offer them to clients while still maintaining high artistic standards and deep cultural understanding.
Other Henna Endeavors
In addition to providing her artistry for events, Heather has a long history of being engaged with the henna artist community. She founded the Henna Gathering, an annual conference for professional henna artists, and teaches at other conferences regularly. The Henna Gathering also had a Facebook group that became a primary place for henna artists to connect during the 2010s.
Her henna supply company, Artistic Adornment, provides premium-quality materials for other artists who share her passion for natural henna art. She also releases henna design books, providing artists with designs they can use in their own professional practice.
Heather also founded one of the earliest YouTube channels dedicated to henna artistry. Thanks to a strong foundation as a computer nerd, first laid by her grandfather — who personally knew Grace Hopper of “the first debugging incident” fame — Heather’s tech savvy has helped many of her designs reach audiences around the world.
Henna Art With Experience and Purpose
Heather first discovered henna while studying anthropology at Boston University. Traditional Indian bridal mehndi immediately captured her attention, leading her to research henna application techniques, design elements, and cultural traditions. That interest eventually grew into a career serving wedding clients, festival guests, private events, and fellow henna artists.
Today, clients can explore a wide range of work in the Henna Portfolio, including bridal mehndi, guest designs, hand and foot henna, groom mehndi, prenatal belly henna, and North African-inspired styles.
Henna by Heather Offers
- Bridal henna and wedding mehndi
- Henna for wedding and party guests
- Private parties and special events
- Festival and cultural event henna
- Corporate and nonprofit events
- Educational workshops and private lessons
Respecting Tradition While Embracing Creativity
Heather’s artistic philosophy is grounded in learning from established henna traditions while allowing room for creativity and modern influences. She continues to explore different styles and artistic influences while maintaining an emphasis on thoughtful, high-quality work.
Beyond client services, Heather has taught henna workshops, founded the Henna Gathering, created instructional resources, and published henna design books. Her goal is to share the art of henna with both clients and the wider artist community.
Planning Henna for a Wedding, Party or Special Event?
Explore Heather’s henna services and portfolio for inspiration, or learn more about henna options for weddings, celebrations, cultural events, festivals, and private gatherings.