Calli Heflin
Artist Biography
Calli Heflin is an artist from Oklahoma with a bachelor’s degree in fine arts and a minor in art history. Heflin uses palimpsests, layering of imagery, to produce artwork that evokes a story and provides information. They began working with charcoal and gesso, but now use a wide assortment of layered mediums. They were accepted into the 2022 National Fine Arts Exhibition in the Lincoln Gallery in Loveland, Co. In 2021 they were accepted into the 2021 Regional Fine Art Show in Loveland, Co. From 2018 to 2020 they were a Museum Associate at the OSU Museum of Art. In 2019, they founded a drawing lab with the OSU Horseman’s Association where they demonstrated gestural drawings of Horses.
Artist Statement
Palimpsests, the layering of imagery, have been a visual tool in my work. It resembles time lapsing, history repetition, and brings out symbolic imagery. Originally, the palimpsests were created using photographs of horses. The paper used would be thick with charcoal sketches that were later cleaned up with gesso. The final products though were still elusive and tricky to navigate. My main interest was mares giving birth and the moments held between mother and foal. I moved on to analyzing historical events happening around me. As the years have swept by my artwork has evolved quickly and encompasses many different facets of my life and the world around us. Through all the changes though, the gestural movements remain the same and the palimpsests have only become more organized in their layout to convey meaning more thoroughly.
@calli_heflin_art
Calli’s work was included in our Spring 2023 Group Exhibition, on view February 2 through April 23, 2023.