Armed with a degree in English literature from the University of Alberta, what's a young man to do? In the case of Matt Heide, concrete was an obvious choice. After finishing college, he started a construction company, which, after several years, began specializing in concrete architectural details like countertops and fireplace panel. Some years later, he tapped into his artistic side. At first, Heide would mess around with the backs of architectural pieces like fireplace panels that would get mortared to the wall. "The concrete was there and wet so I just started mixing colours and experimenting with different things," he says. "I would experiment with different painting techniques."