Using imagery derived from sources such as floor plans, city grids and ancient ruins, Shelley Heffler’s abstract mixed media paintings illustrate the effect mankind has had on the earth. Learn more by visiting her website.
“A Road Less Traveled” Acrylic and Enamel on Canvas, 36” x 28” x 4”
My passion for maps and traveling began as a youth navigating the subways in New York City. My curiosity to discover and uncover new places led me to travel all over the world.
“A Starry Night” Acrylic and Enamel on Canvas, 36” x 42” x 8”
Born and raised in the Bronx, I discovered the Art Students League in Manhattan at age fifteen. To pay for the Saturday classes, I worked during the week, anxious to be in the atmosphere of paint and drawing. Graduating high school early, I got a job drafting for Western Electric, and I was the only girl in a sea of men. I studied Interior Design at the Fashion Institute of Technology, where I honed my skills of technical drafting and rendering perspective drawings.
“Below and Beyond #1” Acrylic and Enamel on Canvas, 30” X 20”
Hired out of college, I was lucky to continue to paint and design carpets for Edward Fields, where color matching was key to the conceptual presentation. Upon transferring to Los Angeles, I met my first husband and left the states to live in Spain and travel overland to India, via Turkey, Afghanistan and Pakistan.
“Below and Beyond #2” Acrylic and Enamel on Canvas, 30” x 20”
Returning to Los Angeles, I completed a Masters Degree in sculpture. My first exhibition was at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art rental gallery, where I sold out all my work. My art has been widely seen in California, Washington D.C. and Florida. Reviews of my work can be found in the Los Angeles Times, LA Independent and San Diego Art Review.
“Branching Out” Acrylic and Enamel on Canvas, 52” x 28” x 9”
In addition to having my work purchased by a number of collectors, I was identified as “One to Watch” on Saatchi online, was featured in the International Contemporary Art Book, received a bronze award in Art Comes Alive, featured in “Beautiful Decay Magazine” and London based “Hedge Magazine” and written about by Melissa Scallan.
“Eye of the Storm” Acrylic and Enamel on Canvas, 36” x 36” x 6”
For more than twenty five years, I taught ceramics as an adjunct professor at Otis College and mentor teacher for the LAUSD schools. Ceramics opened a new world of learning and awareness for this marvelous material. My pursuit of learning more about this medium lead me to travel to China where I visited schools, master craftsman, ancient cities and places where ceramics has been a long-standing tradition.
“Landsat#1” Acrylic and Enamel on Canvas, 30” x 15”
My first years of drafting and color combining have emerged as a continuing process in my work. I am primarily a painter who continues to explore new mediums that push the boundaries of what is considered painting.
“Landsat#2” Acrylic and Enamel on Canvas, 30” x 15”
I often use richly colored applications of paint by layering, pouring, drawing or scratching back into the surface. I am interested in the impact humans have on the land, the environment and the earth. Abstraction is the language I use to generate imagery and concepts of shifting boundaries of society and politics.
“Landsat#3” Acrylic and Enamel on Canvas, 30” x 15”
Maps, cartography, topography and geography are a few of the resources that inspire me. I strive to manipulate the plasticity of paint reflecting the mutable qualities of earth’s surface and the enduring effect of mankind.
“Urban Decay” Acrylic and Enamel on Canvas, 24” x 42” x 12”
My recent exhibition at Yavapai Art Gallery was entitled “Languages of Memory and Maps of the Imagination.” Currently, I am preparing for a solo show at the Verde Valley Art Gallery.
Shelley: Your work is amazing! Powerful, dramatic and thought-provoking.
Thank you Roberta. I recently had my artwork purchased for the Inglewood Community for their permanent collection. So grateful.