Jean and Tom Heffernan are a unique husband and wife team from Sedona, Arizona. They are both self-taught metal artists. Each in their own way and time, made a decision to answer the calling of their inner selves. Together, they brought their unique talents and problem solving skills to a new artistic endeavor, which has culminated in the production of unique hand-woven copper and steel mirrors."2006 was a life-changing year for us. We decided to use this time in the same way that chefs use sorbet -- to cleanse a diner's palette between strong courses. We were eager for a new, yet unidentified life course. To prepare for it, we needed to cleanse our being. Thus, we began a sorbet year.We quit our jobs, sold most of our possessions, and moved to a tiny, remote village in the middle of the Aleutian Island chain of Alaska. We went into the wilderness to cleanse, illuminate, and invent. Gradually, we realized a desire to use art to affect others. We discovered that we could use metal and mirrors to produce exciting artwork filled with enriching color and light. At the same time, we could champion every individual -- exactly as they are -- by putting them in the middle of everything we did.Our talents, training and experiences – Tom in the healthcare field, and Jean as a photographer - indelibly mark us individually and prompt our singular impact on the world. The combination of our skills, personalities, knowledge, and inclinations culminates in a unique artistic endeavor. Our mirrors incorporate color, light and the viewer into the final work. People have always been important to us. Today, they are as intimately involved in our work as they have ever been." ARTIST STATEMENTOur work is about duality--the fact that most things (concrete or abstract) have two contradictory components, both of which are true.Through our choice of materials, our manipulation of them and in our conceptual presentation, our work is:About the natural world and industry: Few things are more natural than metal--it is elemental. Yet, it has been mined and forged by enormous force and intense fire. Then, we hammer, bent and grind it until it conforms to our will.Ancient and Contemporary: We weave sheets of metal into a checkerboard pattern. It has a modern, upbeat vibe but it is no different than patterns that were extraordinarily popular in ancient Egypt or those found in most prehistoric societies.About self-absorption and self-consciousness: We incorporate mirrors in virtually all of our work. Viewers look at themselves, from afar and then closer. They engage with their appearance. At times, they are absorbed in an exploration of themselves.Yet, at the exact same time, a duality occurs. Tor Norretranders, the esteemed Danish science writer and thinker, believes that "the most influential invention of the past 2000 years has been the mirror: It has shown to each person how she or he appears to other persons on the planet...This made possible the modern version of self-consciousness: viewing oneself through the eyes of others..."About the individual and the whole: Likewise, the viewer is aware of their individuality and the fact that they are a small, small part of the greater whole.About aesthetics and functionality. We live in the American Southwest--an intense, beautiful region awash in geometric forms, beacons of color and lavash sunlight. Our work reflects this: mottled strips are an embodiment of the lichen that is seen everywhere--a living graffiti splashed across rocks that have not been moved in centuries, and smooth colored strips representing dessert birds, flowers and distant cliffs. The portion around the mirror is inspired by the ever present dazzling sun. And, the mirror itself, while acting just like a mirror, also spreads available sunlight everywhere.About the nature of art: Art is a physical, intellectual and emotional endeavor; the work is infused with the essence of the artist. In that way, the artist is always with the viewer. However, in our art the viewer will be directly in the middle of the work. Without them it wouldn't be complete; they are as much a part of it as us. In that small way, she or he is always with us.The contradictions we present are varied and diverse. Some are subtle, even oblique. Others are clear, distinct and in your face. They can be simple or complex; but they are always profound. Each of us is confronted by duality every day. Every contemporary political and social issue is replete with duality. So too are the broader issues of consciousness, ontology and metaphysics. Our work is partially an effort to encourage the viewer to see both sides of all things, especially their own behavior and existence.