Just in time to mark the coming of spring, Wilton Library is honored to have a retrospective entitled Beauty by Maria Jarreau Heller with an opening reception on Friday, April 11, from 6 to 7:30 p.m.. Heller, a Wilton resident for 65 years who raised her family here, passed away in January of this year. Her children have lovingly curated this exhibition with 70 pieces from her vast collection.
A familiar, smiling face around town, many people may recognize some of Heller’s expressive works from previous Wilton Library Summer Shows held at the library. What first strikes a viewer is the attention to detail in her highly refined art style along with her sense of vibrant colors and smooth textures. Upon further inspection of her works, one might discover living creatures perched among the flora and fauna. This whimsical juxtaposition of living flowers and living creatures takes the viewer through the artist’s keen observation of nature and fantasy.
Heller’s art styles included Oriental Brush painting style on paper and silk, colored pencil on vellum and 3-D cut out watercolor on paper, representative of the various studies she was able to undertake in her lifetime. Heller was also active in many of the arts including stained glass (lamps, tables), fine embroidery, leather tooling, sculpture with shells, portrait painting, and decoupage.
She was born in Gibraltar in Southern Spain to a mother and father who were art collectors, so she was introduced to it early in life and always had a strong desire to beautify. Heller once remarked, “Art is freedom. It is by beauty that we feel the pulse of all mankind; beauty enhances the quality of human existence.”
Many of Heller’s paintings are in private homes in Connecticut and New York. She exhibited at the Hammond Museum, South Salem, New York, the Carriage Barn at Waveny Castle, New Canaan, Connecticut, St. Vincent’s Hospital, Bridgeport, Connecticut, and Ogden House, Wilton, Connecticut, Neiman Marcus, New York, two solo shows, the Greenwich Garden Educational Center and Greenwich Hospital, and of course, Wilton Library.
Friday’s reception is open to the public and the exhibition runs through April 29. The majority of works will be available for purchase with a portion of the proceeds benefiting Wilton Library.
Wilton Library is located at 137 Old Ridgefield Road in the heart of Wilton Center.