Let me take you back several decades....Newsweek Magazine came to our fair city to do a story on culture in Rockford, Illinois. They were going to get the job done in two days. On the last day they called my home to do an interview. My 15 year old daughter answered the phone. When the reporter asked to speak with me Rebecca informed him that her father was away at his studio (Emmert's Farm). When asked if he could have the phone number at my farm studio she told him there was no phone at this remote place and i would not be home till Saturday evening. Well that was the end of the interview idea. When i arrived home my daughter told me that some guy from a magazine had called and she related the conversation. I was somewhat upset and told her she should have had her mother drive out to the farm and let me know and i would have gladly dropped my brushes
and hurried home for the interview since it would be a great way to reach a national audience. That was an opportunity lost.

On another occasion the editor of the American Artist Magazine saw my painting that was included in the Arts For The Parks Top 100 in Jackson Hole Wyoming and called me to ask for my written permission to use it on the cover of the magazine. Of course i said yes and sent the permission. I was looking forward to seeing my painting on the next issue. Just before publication he called and apologized that one of the layout artists had disagreed with his choice and wanted to grace the cover with an American Eagle that would be a much stronger emage on the news stand. The artist was non other than the great Carl Brenders. I had to admit that it surely was much more powerful than my landscape of the Buffalo River. They did insert a small image of my painting inside the magazine..... Another opportunity lost.

Then another call came from the Art Calendar Magazine. The editor wanted to use a painting that i did of the interior of my studio at Emmerts Farm. She had come across it on my web site. I said i would be honored.
This opportunity did come to fruition and i received a great deal of response from across the nation....Opportunity WON.

About three weeks ago i was contacted by the Artists Magazine with a request to use my painting titled Native on the cover. Again i was pleased but a day or two later i received an email asking for a better image. They needed more detail for a cover image. I took my image to Photo Shop and made it much larger and quickly sent it to the publishing house. Again i received another email patiently explaining that making the image larger did not improve the quality of the pixels on the image but thanks anyway for trying. The original had been sold and was in another city so i figured ANOTHER opportunity lost. I chided myself for several days for not being more business-like in making better high quality photographs of my work. Being ready for success when the opportunity presents itself plays a large part in recognition for any artist. But all was not lost after-all. a week passed and i received another email saying that they didn't want to pressure me but, was i having any luck with a better image.
I was shocked...i thought they had decided not to use my painting. I called a photographer friend of mine and told him of my dilemma. He said "no problem pal, I can make that image of yours as fine as they want it".....and he did and the magazine said he sent a great image that would reproduce beautifully.                                                     

Now at this stage of the game I no longer take it for granted that my painting will be on the cover of The Artists Magazine until i see the May issue but so far its looking like a good possibility.

 fishing lost river  oil on canvas  16x20

my 38th one man show is over and i'm happy to say the turnout was great. we sold 23 originals and dont have the totals on prints but as i suspected the print room was the busiest place in the house. always glad to see friends that have been coming to my show since 1970. two of my daughters, rebecca and sarah were home from new york and south carolina to make it possible to get everything together...couldnt do it without them.

sienna and pam at emmerts farm

on july 25 and 26 we will have an outdoor painting session at emmerts farm (which i used for my studio for 28 years) the location is about 45 minutes west of rockford. we have 8 artist that will be participating. we have room for 2 more so let me know if you would like to join us. i think you might find it interesting to see the actual location where most of my paintings originated from. subject matter will include outbuildings that are a hundred years old and fields of long grasses over 6 foot tall and 10 acres of woods and a small spring fed stream.
one fly in the ointment....outdoor outhouse.  if that is beyond your indurance the town of lena is only 5 miles away.
 
summer has come and we in the midwest are happy to see it even though a few days this week have been rather hot. everything is green and flowers are blooming everywhere. as far as painting goes the green of summer can be a challenge. the trees are so full of leaves that they look like great stands of broccoli. cant see any limbs and very little trunks. so one has to take some artistic liberties and vary the shades of green and add a few limbs. another approach is to focus on the sky, if it is dramatic, and drop the landscape further down in the composition.

i' m including a couple of pictures of my gallery and studio so you can see how lush the trees are in the month of june in illinois.......tom heflin

i havent done any teaching since 1971 but will hold a workshop for 4 or 5 students on may 2nd and 3rd. 2009.
starting time will be 1:00 till 4:00 p.m. saturday and sunday at my studio. 1162 s. weldon rd. rockford, illinois.
with this small number of students i will have plenty of time to work closely with each artist.

spring has finally arrived so some artists may enjoy working outside. the 5 acre lawn has a number of great burr oaks, white oaks and ,maple, which could make good subject. others might choose to work in the studio. does'nt really matter, i will be able to work with each person inside or outside.

 

Laurie…sorry for the delay in response to your observations….

I must say... you have really amazed me with your in depth analises and questions about the creative process.
I will try to respond first with your questions about the paintings that made you uneasy or uncertain as to my 
motivation. 

Let’s start with “Archangel” page 134 “ROOTS and WINGS”

 This was my first attempt at etching. Using a metal pointed instrument I began with no preliminary sketch, just experimenting with the medium.

Most of this drawing was made without picking up the engraver, very loose and free flowing. You are right, the figure turned out to be an evil looking angel. Only one print was pulled and I don’t know what happened to the copper plate.

 

Two sketches on page 138 “ROOTS and WINGS”

The sketch on the left truly reflects angst… which is exactly what I was trying to do.

Sometimes art is therapy for the artist…. not meant for the public at large.

The sketch on the right titled “The Rape of Dixie” was inspired by my interest in the civil war. The black figure represents the north the white represents the south. The event was Sherman’s march to the sea burning everything in his path. A confederate flag is in the background. This sketch was never made into a painting.

 

The Visit series pages 149-155 “ROOTS and WINGS”

These strange little watercolors were done when I was at the proverbial “wall”

I started with pencil to paper with no preconceived idea. Beginning with a circular shape that turned out to be the head of a figure or animal from some far away place in my subconscious. It wasn’t until I had finished the series that I understood they were, in their own peculiar way, self portraits. These small watercolors should be taken with tongue- in- cheek. They are funny little cartoons full of whimsy with an underlying touch of the “human condition” but they were beneficial to me because when they were finished I was on level ground again painting Midwestern landscapes.

Thank you for your many positive comments on my work and for your honesty in describing the paintings you didn't find pleasing. Most painters or writers understand that when we put forth our efforts to public scrutiny our work will not please everyone, especially when we describe our innermost feelings. 
Please stay in touch Laurie.

 

 

it's been awhile since i have visited my blog and thought i would write a few lines about what is going on in the heflin studio. first i would like to acknowledge a comment made from a long time friend, Laurie. how good to hear that you still remember not only our conversations about art but you still recall one particular painting  20 years after our last meeting. thanks for your beautiful words. please keep in touch.

my show in october at the garrison school lofts drew over 600 guests. it was great to see many old friends and to meet many that were new to my exhibits. it came as no surprise that sales were down due to our national economy. i am confident that things will take a turn for the better by next year.

at present i am working on three commissions that will keep me busy for awhile. its been some time since i have entered any shows but this year i did have work accepted in 4 different national shows. from what i have been observing for the last few years art has mushroomed on a national scale. what is most evident is the great talent that is out there. a renaissance of academic realism and impressionist (ala richard schmid) oh richard, what a fire you have started in the hearts of so many young artists. i should include myself in that last statement, even though i'm not a young artist, and don't paint in richards style... i admire his work greatly.

speaking of style, i have heard from quiet a few visitors to my site lately that were somewhat surprised at my home page painting "ghosts of the seven devils swamp" being so different from my peaceful landscapes. it is true that this work is rather disturbing to some but this further proves my point that we as artists are capable of finding inspiration in more than one segment of our personalities. as for myself i don't come to the easel with the same mindset each day.(maybe i have multiple personality problems) i never feel more free than when i am painting from instinct and imagination. true, these works are not as marketable as peaceful landscapes that bring contentment to the viewer. on the other hand there are some of us that must paint what we feel without regard as to how we will be perceived.  fortunately there are some collectors who buy art for arts sake which makes it possible for this artist to explore new horizons.

to those friends that have asked about the whereabouts of  my daughters rebecca, elizabeth and sarah....they have fled our home town and now live in new york, houston and charleston. i will post a picture that was taken a few years ago in our front yard.....i hope it will  show up somewhere near this blog. thanks for visiting....tom