Born in
1954 and raised in Montreal in the poorer part of the french-speaking,
working-class neighbourhood of downtown Montreal, Daniel Heikalo is Acadian,
Ukrainian and Abenaki from his father's side. His mother was adopted,
so her origins are unknown (but she responds to music that is reflective
of gypsies!). Perhaps there is, in this inheritance, a source for
some of Heikalo's unique perceptions and talent, for here is a prolific
and fascinating artist in several mediums. Although he is best known
for his talents as a musician, Heikalo's explorations in pen and ink, photography,
and poetry, dating back to the 60's, warrant attention. Both his
parents were very supportive of his talents, giving him plenty of room
to explore them.
'I have always done art for as long
as I can remember; I have rejected academic training, having experienced
it as sterile and constipating. I discovered in my mid teens that
what I was doing is surrealist art and poetry, and I have never wavered.'
Photography:
Heikalo's award-winning
work in photography includes Montreal architecture, as well as other forms
of urban documentation - streetscapes, store windows, and reflections.
Living in rural Nova Scotia has brought out a sensitivity for subtle nuances
of light in his more pastoral-flavored work. A special source of
intriguing beauty for him are the many and varied frost patterns of winter
on window glass. Interestingly, one can find similar patternings
in much of Heikalo's pen-and-ink work. Other explorations are highly
unconventional still-life capturings.
Some of Heikalo's
photography has appeared in publications which include the Canadian Geographic
and the Montréal Gazette. Also, a selection of his documentation
of buildings is now part of a collection in the Canadian Centre for Architecture
in Montréal.
Digital Imaging:
The technology
of digital imaging carries Heikalo's photographic work further, as a different
medium, a transforming tool that is intensely personal, and a continuation
of the surrealist imagery research he has done in all those years looking
at the world through the viewfinder.
Drawings...
Growing up in
Montreal surrounded by historical and often quirky architecture has clearly
had an influence on the subject matter of Heikalo's art,which goes much
farther than simple realism: the oddest things can be found juxtaposed,
with wonderfully excessive and elaborate lines and stipple work.
The moods of Heikalo's drawings can evoke humour - whether it's whimsical,
or just odd - or a darker side of conscience, or both at once. Sharp,
elegant, keenly attentive to detail, Heikalo is an artist with an unconventional
edge to his imaginative creations, which can easily be interpreted as visual
paintings of his audio compositions.
His drawings have
been exhibited in group and solo shows in Montreal and Halifax, and can
currently be viewed in his home studio.
Poetry...
Heikalo's poetry
and other writings are stream-of-conscience based, much like his drawings.
They are composed in french, Heikalo's first language. However, for the
english-speaking audience, language isn't necessarily a barrier to appreciating
the play-on-words of his writings. For those who can simply enjoy
the sounds of words, some of which Heikalo takes the delightful liberty
to invent, hearing him recite is pure entertainment.