Blog

i  continued to work on crushed paper for about ten years. since most of the subjects were rustic vignettes they usually ended up in my collectors family rooms and kitchens. i decided it would be nice to hang in the more formal spaces like living rooms and dining rooms. i changed my subjects to include peaceful landscapes and florals on much larger canvases from 36x48 to 48x 60 and larger. these works were more sophisticated with muted color harmony. this plan worked beautifully and my work was now being hung in more prominate places including banks and commercial establishments.

this success did not mean the end of my crushed paper paintings it simply meant an addition to my oeuvre.
in the following years i continued adding different approaches that were of interest to me. some have understandably asked which style was my favorite or which was the real "tom heflin" in truth i find it very difficult to paint one thing day in and day out for years on end. i am not interested in formulating one recipe that guarantees a successful outcome for every painting i do.   granted that changing a style has the risk of losing a following but i have always been willing to take that risk and walk on fragile ground.  i find it challenging and exciting to discover more ways to explore picture making.

i understand this approach is not for everyone. most artists are more comfortable to find a niche and stay with it which realistically is probably the most practical.  on the other hand each of us has to find what brings us the most satisfaction. in my case it happens to be exploring many avenues of expression.  it has been my good fortune to have collectors who come to my shows and find it more interesting that every painting is not alike in subject or technique. this fact has broadened my base and has permitted me the freedom to push the limits of my creativity.

it is my opinion that the bottom line is....is it good art? are the landscapes, figure studies, still lifes, abstracts or whatever the subject... professional?  does a landscape look great until you add a figure that is poorly done? does a figure look anatomically correct until you add a landscape to the background that isn't convincing?  the only way to establish the professional quality of ones work that i know of is to submit it to a panel of peers. in my case i entered national competitions with abstractions, realism, surrealism, collage and drawings. winning acceptance and awards in each category.  this, in my view, means the work is  professional.
if you are still with me...thanks for the visit.  feel free to offer criticism or questions......tom                                 

my annual show is over and i will try to catch up on some email.
quiet a few have asked about the different styles i choose to work in. i am assuming that most of these questions are coming from fellow artists and i understand where you are coming from. conventional wisdom says....find a working style that is unique and stay with it. good advise, especially true with galleries who want to identify your work from across the room. i have been with several galleries in my time and they have been instrumental in my career as a fine artist.

trouble with me is...i have been painting for over 37 years and in that time period have explored many mediums and techniques and will continue to do so. in my early years i entered every art competition i could find. i was lucky enough to win some regional and national competitions. this generated some good press and gave my collectors confidence that my work was legitimate. at the time i was working in abstract expressionism. 

when i first began painting full time in 1970 i knew i had to reach  new collectors in a reasonable price range. working in a realistic style i made small paintings ( 16x20) on crushed paper mounted on a panel. i used acrylic much like watercolor and left a lot of the crushed paper showing around the outer edges. at the bottom of the painting i would write the date, time, weather conditions etc. in the day of mass production i wanted to emphasize that in this isolated studio each painting was produced one at a time at this precise moment. most of the subjects came from what has become known as "emmerts farm."

my first public exhibit sold out.... thanks to the reasonable price range of 100 dollars each. the folowing years brought higher prices a little at a time. a gallery in chicago started selling my work and i was working 14 hours a day just to keep up....i was a happy man!

this post is getting too long... so i will continue this subject and what has led to many style changes in a couple of days.  if you have bothered to read this far...thanks for your patience. hope you will visit my site again....tom