| |
Heike Talbert enjoys painting in her studio/laundry room
as its proximity to her kitchen is so that she can step
in and check on her family or dinner. In 1984 Heike met
Little Rock plastic surgeon, Gary Talbert, in the South
of France, Monte Carlo. The couple began a five-year long
distance relationship by letters. After one more face to
face meeting the couple were married. She has now lived
in the United States for 17 years. Their family has grown
to include three children; Anja, Jens and Tristan.
Talbert began her art career during her schooling at the
Waldorf School in her native Germany. The Waldorf School
is a series of schools world wide that is heavily focused
on the arts as part of their curriculum. Some form of art
was included in each day's instruction. Art was a part of
our daily lives, remembers Talbert. She learned to spin
wool, weave carpet, form metal art and sculpt wood, stone
and clay. Each Saturday was spent making watercolor works.
During
her youth, Talbert's family spent months in their summer
house in Provence. The beauty of the area and the history
of the artists settling in this area were very inspiring
to Talbert. While touring all the museums and galleries
in the area she viewed first hand many original master paintings:
Cezanne, Chagall, Miro, Monet and Manet, (three years ago
Talbert returned to the area on a painting trip of the south
of France with Barry Thomas, Tina Talbert, Arden Boyce and
Steno Grimes.)
Talbert's
father died when she was young leaving her mother alone
to raise their three children. As an impressionable child,
Talbert decided that although her first love was art she
could pursue a career in computer science. "I didn't
think I could make a living with art."
I
knew I was really good, reflects Talbert, however for quite
some time she did not paint at all. Eight years ago, during
a class reunion, former classmates could not believe that
Talbert had not followed a career path in art. "It
inspired me to pick up a brush and learn how to paint in
oil." Although Talbert had worked with many types of
mediums during her schooling she had never worked with oils.
"Let me tell you painting in oil is a lot harder than
it looks", I was determined to learn. With the renaissance
of her art she began working with oils. She found it a real
challenge, everything else came back real easily. She struggled
for years to produce what she calls "a half way decent
painting". "I remember the day I tried to paint
a girl on the beach. I worked all day just to paint an arm,
I'm not even talking fingers, just an arm." That night
she prayed to God and relayed her frustations, her desire
to paint and asked for God's help. Six weeks later she sold
her first painting and has never again felt the same difficulties.
Talbert now works only with oil. I like the feel when the
paint is wet, the ability to move it on the canvas. It allows
me to lose and find edges, something that was always stressed
by my art teachers.
Talbert painted for two years with Becca White and took
classes with Barry Thomas. We are so very lucky to have
a talented artist like Barry live here in Arkansas who is
willing to share his gift with others. Talbert also worked
with American Impressionist Carolyn Anderson and fellow
German artist Guido Frick. Her tutelage under Frick has
led to a friendship that has allowed further opportunities
to learn from his genius. In April she will join other artists
and Frick in Tuscany to capture the beautiful essence of
that region on canvas.
Currently
she is not working with any gallery other than Gallery Central
in Hot Springs, although she did work with Mary Cornwell,
and Sargeants in Hawaii (where she could hardly keep up
with the demand). Recently people have been buying works
out of her home. This works really well for Talbert because
it is the center of her two greatest loves, her family and
her painting. Painting gives me great joy and "I really
want to give God the glory for all I am capable of. My painting
journey has paralled my journey in faith. Because we are
all created in God's image, I feel it is natural that we
all have a desire to create."
|
