Doreen Heaton Potworowska attended the Bath Academy of Art at Corsham from 1949-53. At this time the academy was at the forefront of modern thinking in terms of art education and trends. It was during this time that she met Polish artist Peter Potworowski (1889-1962), who had escaped from Poland in 1943 in the German invasion of Poland. In 1952 he took up a post at Corsham as Professor of painting. Doreen became Peter’s assistant and they became lovers. Between 1954 – 1958 they travelled extensively in Spain, Italy and France.

In 1958 they moved to Poland, and married shortly before Peter’s death in 1962. Doreen returned to East Anglia in the mid 1980’s.