Charles Heaney
Encyclopedia
Charles Edward Heaney was an American painter and printmaker. During the Great Depression
in the 1930s, he worked for the Works Progress Administration
as an artist and did several works featuring Mount Hood
and Timberline Lodge as the subject matter.
. His father died, then Charles moved with his mother and sister to Portland
, Oregon
in 1913. At 16 or 17, he apprenticed as an engraver, but dabbled in art
until he attended the Museum Art School
in Portland.
, he moved toward printmaking later as his career progressed. Like many Oregon
artists, he was strongly influenced by his friend C.S. Price. Heaney adopted C.S. Price's ideal of the simple life, with almost obsessive dedication to his art.
Heaney loved Eastern Oregon
, where he traveled extensively and regularly worked from memory or sketches when he returned to the studio to paint the landscapes he loved. Like Price, Heaney spent time as a WPA artist in the 1930s, painting several pictures for the Timberline Lodge on Mount Hood, several of which still hang in the lodge.
In 1980, the Oregon Historical Society
honored Charles Heaney with an extensive exhibit of his life's work, borrowed from many private collections. In 1982, a year after Heaney's death, Bush Barn Art Center
in Salem, Oregon
featured an extensive retrospective, showing many paintings not previously exhibited. In 2005, a retrospective of his work with more than 100 paintings and prints was put on by the Hallie Ford Museum of Art
at Willamette University
in Salem, Oregon
. Heaney died in 1981 in Portland.
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
in the 1930s, he worked for the Works Progress Administration
Works Progress Administration
The Works Progress Administration was the largest and most ambitious New Deal agency, employing millions of unskilled workers to carry out public works projects, including the construction of public buildings and roads, and operated large arts, drama, media, and literacy projects...
as an artist and did several works featuring Mount Hood
Mount Hood
Mount Hood, called Wy'east by the Multnomah tribe, is a stratovolcano in the Cascade Volcanic Arc of northern Oregon. It was formed by a subduction zone and rests in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States...
and Timberline Lodge as the subject matter.
Early life
Charles Heaney was born on August 22, 1897 in Oconto Falls, WisconsinOconto Falls, Wisconsin
Oconto Falls is a city in Oconto County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 2,843 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Green Bay Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Oconto Falls is located at ....
. His father died, then Charles moved with his mother and sister to Portland
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
in 1913. At 16 or 17, he apprenticed as an engraver, but dabbled in art
Art
Art is the product or process of deliberately arranging items in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect....
until he attended the Museum Art School
Portland Art Museum
The Portland Art Museum in Portland, Oregon, United States, was founded in 1892, making it the oldest art museum on the West Coast and seventh oldest in the United States. Upon completion of the most recent renovations, the Portland Art Museum became one of the twenty-five largest art museums in...
in Portland.
Career
Although Heaney started as a PainterPainting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
, he moved toward printmaking later as his career progressed. Like many Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
artists, he was strongly influenced by his friend C.S. Price. Heaney adopted C.S. Price's ideal of the simple life, with almost obsessive dedication to his art.
Heaney loved Eastern Oregon
Eastern Oregon
Eastern Oregon is the eastern part of the U.S. state of Oregon. It is not an officially recognized geographic entity, thus the boundaries of the region vary according to context. It is sometimes understood to include only the eight easternmost counties in the state; in other contexts, it includes...
, where he traveled extensively and regularly worked from memory or sketches when he returned to the studio to paint the landscapes he loved. Like Price, Heaney spent time as a WPA artist in the 1930s, painting several pictures for the Timberline Lodge on Mount Hood, several of which still hang in the lodge.
In 1980, the Oregon Historical Society
Oregon Historical Society
The Oregon Historical Society is an organization that encourages and promotes the study and understanding of the history of the Oregon Country, within the broader context of U.S. history. Incorporated in 1898, the Society collects, preserves, and makes available materials of historical character...
honored Charles Heaney with an extensive exhibit of his life's work, borrowed from many private collections. In 1982, a year after Heaney's death, Bush Barn Art Center
Bush's Pasture Park
Bush's Pasture Park is a public park and botanical garden in Salem, Oregon, United States. It is also the site of the Asahel Bush House, which was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974, and is now operated as the Bush House Museum.-Bush House Museum:The park and Italianate...
in Salem, Oregon
Salem, Oregon
Salem is the capital of the U.S. state of Oregon, and the county seat of Marion County. It is located in the center of the Willamette Valley alongside the Willamette River, which runs north through the city. The river forms the boundary between Marion and Polk counties, and the city neighborhood...
featured an extensive retrospective, showing many paintings not previously exhibited. In 2005, a retrospective of his work with more than 100 paintings and prints was put on by the Hallie Ford Museum of Art
Hallie Ford Museum of Art
The Hallie Ford Museum of Art is the museum of Willamette University in Salem, Oregon, United States. It is the third largest art museum in Oregon. Opened in 1998, the facility is across the street from the Oregon State Capital in downtown Salem, on the western edge of the school campus...
at Willamette University
Willamette University
Willamette University is an American private institution of higher learning located in Salem, Oregon. Founded in 1842, it is the oldest university in the Western United States. Willamette is a member of the Annapolis Group of colleges, and is made up of an undergraduate College of Liberal Arts and...
in Salem, Oregon
Salem, Oregon
Salem is the capital of the U.S. state of Oregon, and the county seat of Marion County. It is located in the center of the Willamette Valley alongside the Willamette River, which runs north through the city. The river forms the boundary between Marion and Polk counties, and the city neighborhood...
. Heaney died in 1981 in Portland.
Further reading
- Charles E. Heaney: Memory, Imagination and Place, by Roger Hull.
- SI.edu