The Heart’s a Deep Well 

Melissa Hefferlin made this still life painting, "The Heart's a Deep Well," using oil on canvas. Here, ordinary items are given careful attention. Look at the copper jug, for example. Its form is carefully built up with layers of paint, capturing the metal's warmth and the marks of its making. Next to it is a glass vase and a light bulb. The contrast between the crafted copper and the manufactured glass is striking. Even the textiles draped in the background hint at a world of labor and trade. This combination of domestic objects invites us to reflect on the everyday. Hefferlin prompts us to see the beauty in the mundane, elevating these objects through her artistic process. By looking closely at the materials and craftsmanship involved, we can appreciate the social and cultural significance embedded within this seemingly simple scene. It invites us to reconsider the value we place on the handmade versus the mass-produced, the artistic versus the functional.