Potts of Coffee to Host Will Hegler Studio Fall Art Show

The Daniel Island News Article, November 18, 2004, by Ashley Ethridge: Will Hegler is an unlikely artist. Raised in the lowcountry, he majored in Wildlife Biology at Clemson and then went to work at the Marine Resources Research Institute on James Island. His days were spent on small boats, tagging fish, studying oyster beds, and viewing tissue samples through a microscope: and “awesome job,” he says. “It was what I loved to do.” Hegler grew ever more appreciative of the beauty of the landscape and the complexities of the creatures he studied, and he took photographs constantly. At night he would come home and paint using the photos for reference. After five years of working as a maring biologist, he left his job to paint full-time.

At the Gibbes Museum, Hegler took a class in oil painting. Struck by the richness of the colors, he quickly made the switch to oils from acrylics. Hegler then read “a couple of books on the history of art” in an effort to educate himself, “I didn’t know a lot about it,” he says, but he soon became particularly inspired by the Byzantine mosaics, Louis Comfort Tiffany’s stained glass work, pointillism, and the woodcuts and copper engravings of German Renaissance artist Albrecht Durer.

In the beginning, Hegler “did anything for money: portraits, murals, floor coverings. I learned a lot from that,” he says. “The more you paint the more you’re not copying someone else; you’re doing your own thing after a while.”

His own thing turned out to be truly unique.

“There are so many great artists in Charleston,” Hegler says, “painting landscapes and wildlife – the things I like to paint – I knew I needed to do something different.” A very creative person, he “tends to see things differently from everyone else,” and his works allow the viewer to see the world through his eyes.

Fascinated by the “separation of color” in mosaics, stained glass, and pointillism, Hegler began developing his own technique, which he calls “cell painting.” This technique pays homage to Tiffany’s use of “balance, symmetry and color,” as well as the Durer’s “detail, intricacy and imagination.” In his paintings, Hegler “isolates the colors into cells” through a three-part process. Using a photograph to get the proportions right, he first paints a very traditional-looking sketch with thin layers. On top of this, he adds different shapes of colorto “break up the large color areas into smaller pieces.” He then uses a very small brush to do the “line work” around the colored cells which “gives the paintings their stained glass or mosaic feel.” The result is beautiful, even startling. “ I like to create pieces of art that draw the viewer in,” Hegler says, “that provide a feast for the eyes, an overload of color.”

People are often surprised, Hegler says, to learn that he uses no computer programs or projectors. “It’s all done by hand,” he says “the old fashioned way.” The large paintings take about a month to complete, and the smaller ones take half as long. “My style suits my personality,” Hegler explains. “I am a methodical, slow worker. It goes against everything in the world today that is all about speed, but I don’t care how long it takes.” He also liked to experiment for different effects within his “cell” technique, and so the style is ever-evolving.

Hegler’s paintings were in the Wells Gallery on Broad Street for about a year and a half, and most Lowcountry residents have probably seen at least one of Hegler’s works. He created the winning poster and t-shirt design for the 2003 Cooper River Bridge Run. Remember the mosaic look of the sunm the palmetto, the harbor, the steeples, and the runners coming across the bridge? That was Hegler’s “big break,” he says. Ginny Carson of Decorum, LLC is handling his marketing now, and he is doing many commissioned works and arranging solor shows. “I’m excited about doing this on my own,” he says. “It’s a lot of work, but totally worth it. Ginny is a huge help, which frees me up to paint.”

Serious collectors and curious spectators are invited to the Will Hegler Studio Fall Art Show on Thursday November 18. It will be held from 6-9p.m. at Potts of Coffee on River Landing Drive in Daniel Island, with light hors d’oeuvres and a cash bar. Features will be original paintings, limited edition prints, and new posters. “What I love about art,” Hegler says, “is that there are no rules. You’re free to do your own thing. All the great artists changed the way people look at art by coming from a different perspective, My goal is to bring something new, to shake people up a bit by making them think twice about what painting is and how painting is done.”

Thursday night’s show promisees to be a rare opportunity to get a glimpse of art and history in the making.

Local Artist Announces Fall Show at Potts Bistro on Daniel Island

Decorum, LLC Press Release, October 19, 2005, by Ginny Carson: Will Hegler, a local Charleston artist, will show his work on Thursday November 17 from 6-9pm at Potts Bistro, 115 Riverlanding Drive, on Daniel Island. The 2nd annual show will feature a new giclée print release: “Sea Island Evening,” and available originals and prints. Hegler will also be showcasing recent commissioned pieces on loan from collectors.

The event is open to the public and requires no admission fee. Light hors d’oevres will be served and a cash bar will be available to guests. Will Hegler will be on hand for the entire show to discuss his work, meet attendees and sign prints.

Will Hegler is a Mt. Pleasant based artist whose art combines a familiarity with the local landscape and its wildlife with an original approach to oil painting. A former marine biologist and a lifelong resident of the East Cooper area, Hegler’s work has been the backdrop of his life. His creative style of painting that he calls “cell painting” was self taught and was inspired by the fragmented color found in mosaics, stained glass work and pointillism. Hegler’s work has been honored as the 2003 Cooper River Bridge Run Design and 2004 North Charleston Arts Festival design. For more information visit www.heglerart.com or call (843) 884-2998.

Potts Bistro is an elegant destination for Daniel Island residents and guests, for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Nestled in the overhanging oaks of River Landing Drive, Potts Bistro offers contemporary Southern cuisine, unique coffee blends, a full bar and an exciting calendar of evening events. Potts Bistro is owned and operated by Sherrie Potts of Daniel Island and is open 6 days a week. For more information visit 115 River Landing Drive or call (843) 278-0660.

The Lowcountry in Pieces, self-taught artist creates mosaic art with a flair

West Of - West Ashley's Newspaper, Article, January 10, 2006, by Lindsey Smith:Will Hegler is a self-taught artist who creates scenes of the Lowcountry that both reflect and reveal his unique style and love of the area. He has had no formal training in art, so much of his inspiration comes from the many art history text books he has studies since he discovered his passion five years ago.

Before his art career, Hegler worked as a marine biologist at the Marine Resources Research Institute on James Island. After working all day there, he would stay up late painting. This lead him to make the decision to quit his job and pursue his creative side. "That was one of the hardest decisions of my life," Hegler says.

At the start of his art career, he did every commission job he could from painting murals in classrooms and pet portraits. "I had to eat," he says. By reading those art history books and continuing to explore his own artistic ability, Hegler has created his own unique style that combines Byzantine mosaics with oils. With his background being in biology, it's no surprise that Hegler calls his blanding of fragmented colors "cell painting".

Hegler uses the concept of mosaics and somehow adds to that a marsh scene or a Palmetto tree. "I love the Lowcountry like everyone else, but I wanted to bring something different into it," says Hegler, who enjoys the fragmented colors that appear in his art.

His name and art are becoming so recognizable that he does his own marketing independent of any art galleries. For the last year or so, Hegler says he has mostly done commission work. But no longer is he painting people's pets. In 2003, he created the design for the Cooper River Bridge Run t-shirts. In 2004, his art appeared as the design for the North Caharleston Arts Festival. His creative art has landed him a spot at the Wells Gallery in downtown for a year-and-a-half.

You can see Hegler's art in West Ashley at Med Deli in the South Windermere Shopping Center. For more information, visit his website at www.heglerart.com.

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