114 http://www.AmericanArtCollector.com
I
f only animals could talk, walk and do as
humans do, it might look a little something
like what Lucia Heffernan paints. On view
from August 10 to 31 at Copro Gallery in
Santa Monica, California, Heffernan’s anthro-
pomorphic and contemporary realistic works
give animals a voice and personality of their
own—but with a twist.
“My inspiration comes from situations in my
daily life, but it’s amplified using animals,” she
says. “If you put animals in a situation, it kind
of becomes more extraordinary and funnier.”
A recent work and personal favorite of the
artist, Executive Soak, shows a bird relaxing in
a birdbath, smoking and sipping on a margarita.
“I asked myself, ‘If I were a bird, what would I
want to do?’” she says. “I would enjoy the bird-
bath, sit there with my margarita, you know?”
With titles like Snoop Doggy Dog, which
depicts a smug pug in a snapback and gold
chain necklace blasting hip-hop tunes through
the boombox he’s holding, and The Bluff, in
which a group of dogs with deadpan expres-
sions smoke cigars while playing poker,
Heffernan’s sense of humor shines through1
Executive Soak,
oil on panel, 15 x 15"
2
High Tea, oil on panel,
20 x 16"
3
Ewetopia, oil on
panel, 24 x 20"
4
The Bluff, oil on panel,
30 x 45"
5
Snoop Doggy Dog,
oil on panel, 16 x 20"1 23UPCOMING SHOW PREVIEW / COPRO GALLERY
8/10-8/31 Santa Monica, CALUCIA HEFFERNANAnimal Instincts