rob hefferan

artist biography

rob hefferan has followed his own artistic path since childhood. born in warrington in 1968, hefferan struggled to have his creative leanings taken seriously by those around him. he recalls copying pictures of spaceships and dinosaurs from children’s books. the only figure to offer support was his art teacher, who saw promise in his early, simple drawings.

hefferan was able to expand his artistic skill by attending the padgate art school between 1985 and 1989, finally taking steps to fulfil the goals he had held fast to since his childhood. after transitioning to a formal degree course in 1990, however, hefferan discovered that the restrictions of the illustration syllabus did not allow him to work as he wanted. he took the bold option to leave his course and create his own portfolio, which saw rewards soon. he gained tremendous success in illustration and advertisement work.

after working commercially for a number of years, hefferan was able to move into a career as a full-time artist. his first exhibition in 2003 was immensely successful, with every piece selling out before it closed.

since then, he has gained many collectors for his work, and continues to release new art to eagerly awaiting followers.

style

hefferan stands apart from many other contemporary realism artists, with a strong combination of modernity and classicism backing his style. his work has often been compared to the pre-raphaelite movement, from where it draws a great deal of inspiration. hefferan’s light and colour choices, although carefully controlled in order to create his signature hyper-realistic style, manage to convey a warmth and energy that one might not expect from such forthright compositions.

hefferan works on each piece individually, developing a scene in which the viewer can be totally immersed. many of his subjects are based in romance, love, and lust, with characters inhabiting brief moments within a more complicated story. there is a wide variety to his content . some scenes feature ball gowns and marble staircases; others negligees and draped linen; and others suits, ties and classic cars. the work has evolved over the years, with hefferan’s more recent work often taking a more modern, less dreamy affect, but with the same emotional essence captured in each scene.

hefferan’s figure work is often the most detailed part of each piece, with a softer and slightly more painterly approach sometimes taken for the background. this creates a focus that, although contrary to a strict hyper-realistic style, makes the piece seem all the more alive by creating three-dimensional depth.