The eldest child of Thomas Milner Heron and Eulalie Mabel Davies, the family moved to Zennor when Heron’s father was appointed to expand Alec Walker's Cryséde company from wood-block printed silk to include garments and to expand the retail side of the business. They lived in the Eagle’s Nest which had been the home of Ka Cox (May 21^st) and William Arnold – Forster (October 8^th) which had, probably completely, untrue connections with Aleister Crowley and the occult.  In 1929, the family moved to Welwyn Garden City and established the famous company, Cresta Silks.

After the second World War, in which he registered as a conscientious objector, Heron moved to St. Ives and worked for Bernard Leach (May 6^th) and during this time met and collaborated with the artists of the St Ives School, notably Barbara Hepworth (May 20^th) and Ben Nicholson (February 6^th).  In 1956, he settled permanently at his childhood home, the Eagle’s Nest, which he bought from Mark Arnold – Forster the son of Ka Cox and William Arnold – Forster.  Mark Arnold – Forster did not live in Cornwall after his childhood but became famous for the 1970s televisions series ‘The World at War’ which was narrated by Laurence Olivier.  In 1945, Heron married Delia Reiss, the daughter of Richard Reiss who was instrumental in the founding of Welwyn Garden City.

Heron’s work was heavily influenced by the works of Matisse and Cézanne and he worked in a variety of media ranging from silk to stained glass, designing a window for the Tate St Ives but became most famous for his work in oils and gouache.  His first solo exhibition was at the, commercial, Redfern Gallery (1947) when he also began exhibiting as a portraitist.

One, a painting of T.S. Eliot, has been displayed in the National Portrait Gallery since 1966.  With the departure of Ben Nicholson in 1958, Heron took over his Porthmeor Studio (St Ives) and used the extra space to create larger paintings often many square feet in area.

Heron also became known for his writing as an art critic as he could write from the artist’s perspective as well as the viewer’s and he began series of broadcasts on the BBC World Service and the Third programme.  His solo exhibitions included at galleries in New York, Zurich, London, Sydney, Edinburgh, São Paulo, Oxford and Texas.
Heron stopped painting for a while after the sudden death of his wife in 1979 but resumed a year or so later.