Collection is open for research.
Gift of Mona Dimitre, May 1987.
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, SR 9327,
Oral history interview with Charles E. Heaney, by Priscilla Carrasco, SR 77, Oregon Historical Society Research Library.
Additional interviews with Charles E. Heaney, SR 2158 and
This oral history interview with Charles E. Heaney was conducted by Priscilla Carrasco in four sessions from August 2-27, 1981. During digitization of the audio recording in 2021, Tape 1, Side 1, was found to be blank; however, the content of that portion of the interview is included in the interview transcript.
In this interview, Heaney discusses studying art at the Museum Art School in Portland, Oregon, in the late 1910s, and talks about working at the Brandenburg Engraving Company. He speaks about his artistic process and about working with casein paint. He discusses his friendship with Oregon artist C. S. Price, and the artwork of fellow painter Arthur Runquist. He discusses his experiences traveling in Southern Oregon during the 1920s, particularly in the town of Denio, and talks about how those experiences influenced his art. He looks at paintings he made and discusses them.
Joint copyright for this interview is held by the estates of Priscilla Carrasco and Charles Heaney. Use is allowed according to the following statement: In Copyright -
Tape 1, Side 1, through Tape 2, Side 1. In the first interview session, conducted on August 2, 1981, Heaney discusses studying art at the Museum Art School in Portland, Oregon, in the late 1910s, and talks about working at the Brandenburg Engraving Company. He speaks about his artistic process and about working with casein paint. He discusses his friendship with Oregon artist C. S. Price, about Price's career as an artist, and about how Price influenced him. He talks about his own artwork and describes his favorite and least favorite pieces.
Tape 2, Side 2, through Tape 3, Side 2. In the second interview session, conducted on August 5, 1981, Heaney discuss the reasons he never married. He talks about his development as an artist, and about his older work that he no longer likes. He shares his reasons for painting landscapes and rural towns, and describes his artistic process. He looks at some of his paintings and talks about them. He also discusses the artwork of fellow painter Arthur Runquist. He speaks about working with different types of paint.
Tape 4, Side 1, to partway through Tape 4, Side 2. In the third interview session, conducted on August 8, 1981, Heaney discusses his experiences traveling in Southern Oregon during the 1920s, particularly in the town of Denio, and talks about how those experiences influenced his art.
Partway through Tape 4, Side 2, to the end of Tape 5, Side 1. In the fourth interview session, conducted on August 27, 1981, Heaney discusses themes of mysticism in his art, and speaks again about his friendship with C. S. Price. He looks at additional paintings and talks about them, and further discusses his artistic process. He closes the interview by sharing his feelings about paintings he worked on for many years.