Julie Heffernan, Self-Portrait with Anna, Katherine, Liz, and Barbara (first version), 2018, oil on canvas, 30”x 26”
It was a night of anticipation for the launch of Curatorial Project. Glasses of wine clinked and the chatter of excited guests filled the air. The event wasn’t just any opening—it was a celebration of the wild, fantastical work of artist Julie Heffernan, and the newly launched program.
As guests wandered the grounds and art-filled rooms, they were greeted by self-portraits: portraits of Heffernan herself, painted in ways both bizarre and captivating. Her self-images, rendered in intricate, rococo-inspired detail, seemed to bend and shift between dreams and reality. The walls were alive with her worlds, where Heffernan's form often merged with nature, animals, and mythical creatures. It was an eclectic blend of opulent fantasy and raw, feminist power. But all of this was just the backdrop. The real star of the night was the artist herself.
When Julie Heffernan stepped onto the deck of the venue, her presence was as captivating as the works surrounding her. She was warm, engaging, and eager to share the story behind her artistic process. But before she delved into the details, she smiled and spoke about the inspiration for the night’s theme: Hunter Gatherer. She had chosen the theme as a way to reflect both the struggle and power of women throughout history, and the often overlooked contributions of the female body in the natural world.
Heffernan spoke of her upbringing, moving from Illinois to San Francisco as a young girl, and how her Catholic background pieced together the iconography of classical art with that of feminism and societal expectations— elements she incorporates into her work. The mythological imagery of ancient Greece and Roman art became a foundation, but she twisted them into something new—something that celebrated the strength and autonomy of the female body, rather than objectifying it. Julie’s works show the “flipside of imagery that glorifies abuse—like pornography, trophy photographs of hunters with their kill and…violent imagery that permeates mass media,” by giving women power in traditionally sexually violent scenes. Her fantastical landscapes, art gallery settings, and towering mountains of rolled-up paper became the stage for her self-portraits, where she was also not merely a passive figure, but a powerful, dynamic force.
As the night wore on, the conversation turned to a discussion about the environment. Julie reflected on the changing landscape of art and how she saw her own works reflecting a larger commentary on the land, nature, and humanity’s role within it. She spoke passionately about the Curatorial Project's future direction, and how art could address both human culture and the natural world in ways that were both urgent and beautiful.
By the time the final glass was collected, what lingered in the air wasn’t just the memory of a dazzling evening—it was the realization that Julie Heffernan’s art wasn’t merely about the artist’s personal journey or the mythical landscapes she conjured. It was about seeing the world differently. About seeing women differently. About seeing humanity’s artistic connection to identity, pain, and nature’s past.
The night had started with guests viewing portraits, but it ended with something deeper—a recognition that art, at its best, doesn’t just reflect the world as it is; it challenges us to imagine what the world might be.
Image Bibliography
Heffernan, Julie. Self-Portrait with Anna, Katherine, Liz, and Barbara (first version), 2018, oil on canvas, 30”x 26”. https://www.julieheffernan.net/2018.
Heffernan, Julie. Self-Portrait with Lock, 2018, oil on canvas, 68 x 58 ins. https://www.ppowgallery.com/exhibitions/julie-heffernan#tab:thumbnails;tab-1:slideshow.
Julie Heffernan, Self-Portrait with Lock, 2018, oil on canvas, 68 x 58 "