Village Squire, 1973-06, Page 10colour, he knows the fundamentals of
perspective that the average person
can't possibly know. It's a lifetime
study. Now I've been working fcc 25
years and I know a little portion. I
never will know everything about it;
nobody ever will, not even the masters.
"So it's a very complex thing for the
artists, but it shouldn't be for the view-
er. It should be very simple. He
should just look at it: if it turns him on,
it's his; if it doesn't, forget it and go
on to the next one.
He becomes vehement when he
discusses art citics and the effect they
can have on those interested in art
and in painters.
"They really don't know what they're
talking about," he says of many of the
critics. "They've never felt a brush.
They've never taken lessons. How can
they be a critic? If they want to be
crlics let them either criticize on the
basis of what they like, or let them
become full-fledged artists and say
this is good because, or this is no good
because.
"Usually they're pushed into this
spot because someone left the week
before someone says 'Well, you've
applied as a writer, now we've got
an opening here so you go and
write about art.'
"I mean what does a person know
if they've never studied art. At least
if they were art historians, if they'd
studied the masters and so on and had
a degree in art history, then I'd say
okay. But unless they have a degree
or some sat of qualifications, I don't
think they should call themselves
critics. They should only reflect the
reaction of the public."
Mr. Heim says the general public,
not the critics, are the barometer that
tells if an artist will be accepted. But
only time will tell if he becomes
famous, because usually it takes 50
years before one can tell if an artist
is going to last or not.
I certainly don't think I will, he
says, "because I'm not that kind of
an artist, I'm not the genius type.
But one or two people here, I have
a feeling they will last. They have
all the makeup of a true artist. But
you can't predict that. Many good
artists have fallen by the wayside.
Mr. Heim came to the area when
he was art director for CKNX televi-
sion for some years. Now he runs a
commercial design business. He has
designed his own house that sits be-
side the gallery overlooking the river,
and has done interior design fa hotels
and restaurants.
For the future, he says, he'd like
to open people's eyes so they can see
more.
"They can see a tree but they don't
really know what that tree looks like
because they never take the time to
study it. By appreciating art, you
get an increased perception and
therefore you simply enjoy life more.
When you study art you automatic-
ally study nature."
"Art should be simple for viewer"