Oral history interview with Charles E. Heaney

Collection

Identifier: SR 9327

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

This oral history interview with Charles E. Heaney was conducted by Charles Digregorio at Heaney’s home in Portland, Oregon, on May 15 and May 22, 1978, as part of the Oregon Historical Society Research Library’s oral history program. The interview was conducted in two sessions.

In the first interview session, conducted on May 15, 1978, Heaney discusses his interest in calligraphy. He talks about his early life in Portland, Oregon, about working for the Brandenburg Engraving Company, and about studying at the Museum Art School, now known as the Pacific Northwest College of Art. He describes traveling in Eastern and Southern Oregon and in rural Nevada, and talks about how those areas influenced his paintings. He discusses his artistic process, talks about his friendship with Oregon artist C. S. Price, and reflects on what it means to be an artist. He speaks about his feelings regarding his early artwork.

In the second interview session, conducted on May 22, 1978, Heaney speaks further about his friendship with C. S. Price, and talks about Price’s life, his personality, and his career as an artist.

Dates

1978 May 15-22

Creator

Heaney, Charles, 1897-1981 (Interviewee, Person)

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Joint copyright for this interview is held by the Oregon Historical Society and the estate of Charles E. Heaney. Use is allowed according to the following statement: In Copyright – Non-Commercial Use Permitted, https://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC-NC/1.0/

Biographical note

Charles Edward Heaney was born near Onconto Falls, Wisconsin, in 1897. In 1913, he moved with his mother and sister to Portland, Oregon. He later studied at the Museum Art School, now known as the Pacific Northwest College of Art, and worked for the Brandenburg Engraving Company. He painted landscapes, urban architecture, and rural towns in Oregon. In 1947, he was selected for an exhibition called "Ten Northwest Artists," and in 1952, the Portland Art Museum presented a 20-year retrospective show of his work. Heaney died in 1981.

Sources: Information provided by Heaney in his interview and in an additional oral history interview, SR 77, also held at the Oregon Historical Society Research Library; "Charles Edward Heaney," by Richard Hull, Oregon Encyclopedia, https://www.oregonencyclopedia.org/articles/heaney_charles_edward/

Extent

0.1 Cubic Feet (2 audiocassettes (2 hr., 8 min., 47 sec.))

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Oral history interview with Charles E. Heaney conducted by Charles Digregorio on May 15 and May 22, 1978. Heaney discusses his artistic process, and talks about his friendship with Oregon artist C. S. Price.