As is the case with most introverts, Ted Hebbler unintentionally hid his tremendous and prodigious painting talent from the world for at least forty years. Although not having ever undergone any formal training in painting, he learnt to brush exclusively on his own in the 1950s as a kid.
He was then living in New Orleans. The architectural splendor in the city often made him visualize them on canvas using both water colors and acrylics with just his sheer talent to paint. He painted in his spare time because he simply loved to do so.
As he grew up there, he came into contact with Charlie Ward, a jazz artist and painter, and their friendship then blossomed and has endured over the years. Seeing Charlie paint inspired him and he learned more by simply observing the musician.
He later studied cardiology and underwent specialization in nuclear medicine. Notwithstanding Ted Hebbler's devotion to work as a nuclear medicine professional, he never left painting, which is his first love and forte.
A first impression that one gets is the proliferation of bright colors in all his paintings, most of which are visualizations of nature. Considering that he never underwent a painting course, his creations cause us to straightaway admit to his natural prowess with a brush and colors. Ted's work is strongly influenced by Charlie Ward and to a lesser extent by Van Gogh. But his is a raw talent and this is the way he likes it, unhoned.
In 1999, Ted Hebbler moved to the Virgin Islands in the Caribbean to build and operate two nuclear medicine labs. He lived there for about 3 years on St. Croix Island, a short stint on another island, and for about 4 years on St. Thomas Island. His work also presented to him the perfect setting to paint on canvas the beautiful nature he saw there.
St. Croix has beaches, gardens, tropical plants, and rain forests, whereas St. Thomas has a hilly terrain with mountainous roads. Their beauty and the myriad appeal of the ocean is what Ted attempted to magically recreate on canvas and in this he was hugely successful. The Danish bungalows and sugarcane plantations in which he stayed there gave him plenty of opportunities to splash bright and vibrant colors on canvas.
Ted's painting talent came to light only as late as 1997 because Charlie Ward wanted it to and also later when once he carried about 20 pieces of his art to the nuclear medicine lab where he worked. His colleagues were very much impressed with the paintings and about 15 of them were straightaway sold.
You can see that Ted Hebbler is a balanced personality. This conclusion can be drawn for he left the comfort of the West Indies, where he found the setting for his paintings and returned back to his native city. The 56 year old so-called impressionist painter now is engaged in rebuilding New Orleans. He also loves music.
|