Mighty Canyon

White, blue, tan, black, green color palette, geometric abstraction, rectangle, horizontal composition, patch work.

This 31.625 x 44.75 inch by Larry Hefner is an abstract mixed media painting. Hefner uses paint and fabric to add texture to the composition. The composition consists of various organic shapes, lines and patterns, resembling a patchwork. Hefner uses a color palette consisting of different shades and tones of beige/tan, light blue, white, grey and a small amount of orange. Across the bottom and top edge of the work, both taking up about 1/8th of the work, are strips of thick light grey/light blue paint that add texture to the work, as though they are raised from the canvas, creating horizontal ridges within both top and bottom strips. Below the top strip, is a thin, black, jagged line with a repeating pattern of black rectangular shapes placed along it. This black line is interrupted on the right side by an organic shape of cut out burlap, outlined by a black line with small blue dots. This shape overlaps onto a large white painted organic shape, connected to another larger white organic shape, by a representational ladder. The first white shape is overlapped again by another square shaped piece of burlap fabric, overlapping yet another shape, just below to the white shape. This shape is more rectangular and borders the bottom strip of light grey/blue thick paint mentioned earlier, but is painted with a dark grey color. On the other side of the "ladder" is a blue organic shape that overlaps the white larger shape mentioned before; both the blue and white shapes border another smaller dark grey shape, also bordered by the light grey/light blue strip of paint that runs across the bottom of the canvas. The dark grey is also slightly seen within a triangular shaped patch thats positioned just above the larger white shape upon the left side of the canvas. There are 12 patchwork type shapes that are various shades of beige, that overlap the large white shape and are then overlapped by the large light blue shape mentioned before. Hefner's style incorporates jagged, uneven lines and organic shapes adhering to abstract principals.

Larry Hefner received his Bachelor and Master of Fine Arts Degrees from the University of Oklahoma. He has taught both art and deign at various universities across the United States for over 30 years. He is a Professor Emeritus of Design in the School of Design at the University of Central Oklahoma, Edmond, Oklahoma where he was chair of the Department. Larry is currently a professional fine artist working from his studio in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He is a multi-disciplined artist working with a variety of media and techniques primarily working in the area of painting with acrylic as his primary medium. His work has been exhibited in many local and regional museums and galleries winning numerous awards. For the past forty plus years, Larry has worked as a graphic designer/photographer, owning his own studio, The Hefner Group in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma specializing in advertising and graphic design.