ARTIST'S BIOGRAPHY

Since Joel’s introduction to oil painting at age seven, he has become passionate about art.  He worked during his pre-teen years with Efren Aldana who was a well-known Latino artist in the San Gabriel Valley.
           
In later years Joel studied with a Signature Master artist Vic Riesau with an emphasis on composition, drawing and values.  Joel also worked with Richard Shelton, a reknown artist and teacher at the Choinard Institute in Los Angeles; he taught techniques of the Old Masters DaVinci and Rembrandt.  Another influential instructor was Jove  Wang of Alhambra. As a Master painter of the California Art Club, he helped Joel with impressionistic figurative work.
           
In the last several years Joel’s main mentor has been John Cosby, a premier plein air artist of Laguna, California.  He joined John in the Loire Valley in France in 2006 with the En Plein Air Masters program.  In 2007 John taught Joel in the Canadian Rockies along with mentors Kevin Macpherson, Gil Dillinger, Joan Arnett, and Ken Bacchus.  Joel is looking forward to the reunion of the En Plein Air Masters group on the eastern coastline of northern Canada in 2008.
           
Joel’s most recent teacher is Shiquao Zhou, a famous Chinese Master painter from the Gaunzhou Institute in China.  Joel works with Zhou in his home studio in Alhambra, California and joined him for a live model workshop in Santa Fe, New Mexico in 2007.
           
Joel’s favorite artists are DaVinci, Rembrant, Fechin, Bongart, Sorolla and Goya. His present day favorites are Mian Situ and Kevin Macpherson.  Joel will be taking a plein air workshop with Kevin Macpherson in 2008 at Taos, New Mexico.
           
Joel is an associate member of the Oil Painters of America, the California Art Club, the Southern California Plein Air Artists group , the Masters Impressionists Society of America, and the San Gabriel Valley Fine Arts Association.
           
Selected paintings of Joel’s can be seen on his website-www.drjsartwork.com.  Present day pricings of his work ranges from $900 for a typical 9”x12” painting to $5000 for a 30”x40” piece.  His present focus is on landscapes, seascapes and figurative work.  He is represented by White’s Gallery in Montrose, California. 

Joel attended El Monte High School in El Monte, California.  He attended USC undergrad and medical school.  Dr. Heger has been an interventional cardiologist in Pasadena spanning over twenty-five years. He has been a pioneer in the cardiology field and has been included yearly as a top doc in “America’s Top Doctor’s” listing. Joel is a Clinical Professor of Medicine at USC and has published 5 editions of his textbook on cardiology.

Joel lives in South Pasadena, California with his wife Jen, and their two beloved bank robber dogs, Bonnie and Clyde.

ART EDUCATION

1952-1955: Joel's introduction to art began with very informal sessions with Effrin Eldana. Eldana was a very accomplished and well known local artist in the San Gabriel Valley. He would meet as often as he could with mentor,Effrin Eldana. Eldana taught Joel using oils.

2003-Present: Began painting oil painting with Vic Riesau, a Signature Painter Master Sculptor with the California Art Club. Vic's sessions with Joel have been wide ranging from landscape, fundamentals of drawing, color, and values.

Joel has also taken art classes Choinard Art School with world renowned artist and designer, Richard Shelton. His classes at Choinard exposed Joel to different methods of painting favored by Leondardo da Vinci, and Rembrandt. Fascinated by Impressionism, Joel has taken classes from Jove Wong, also a Master Painter with the California Art Club. Jove's emphasis is on Impressionist portrait painting.

Joel has studied in the Loire Valley in France with John Cosby and Kevin McPherson. He is presently studying with master painter Shu Quao Zhou, Guanzhou Art Institute, China.

Joel's last trip to the Canadian Rockies was with the En Plein Air Masters and was again tutored by John Cosby. Other mentors on the trip included Kevin MacPherson, Joan Arnett, Gil Dillinger, and Ken Backhaus.

PAINTING AWARDS INCLUDE:

1. Second Place - Paint America  Top 100 Contest-2007;  State of Colorado - “Telluride”

2. Second Place - Paint America Top 50-Mini’s-2007;  State of California - “Cambria”

3. Second  Place - PaintAmerica Top50-Mini’s-2007-State of New Mexico - “Cowboy Hal”

4. First Place - San Gabriel Valley Art Association-Spring Show-2008-Seascapes - “Sunset on Beach at Cambria”