Origins: The First TAC Art Exhibition Featuring Leslie Folksman, Dave Curtis and David Heatwole

In 1996, David F. Heatwole led a loose-knit group of artists from Northern Virginia—including participants from Washington, D.C., and nearby Maryland—under the banner of the Transcendental Arts Council (TAC). Together, they organized a variety of creative fundraisers, using their artistic talents to support community causes. One such effort included painting pumpkins for Loudoun County’s Interfaith Relief and the Children’s Medical Center.

In a particularly imaginative twist on traditional events, the group also hosted an Easter egg hunt unlike any other. Instead of painting eggs or pumpkins, they transformed discarded wooden doors into whimsical art installations. Heatwole and fellow artist KROD had acquired about a dozen slightly flawed doors from a local manufacturer, hauling them over the mountains strapped to the roof of Heatwole’s Honda Civic Wagon. Each artist decorated a door, which was then placed throughout a wooded park in Loudoun County as part of the event. The hunt was a success, delighting both children and families.

Following the event, Leslie Folksman—who had played the role of the Easter Bunny—called Heatwole with an unexpected opportunity. He had secured a solo exhibition at the Children’s Medical Center but could no longer fulfill the commitment. Instead, he offered the space to Heatwole, suggesting a group exhibition. Excited by the chance, Heatwole connected with the center’s exhibition coordinator and received approval to proceed.

He immediately set to work organizing the show, collaborating with TAC’s

volunteer artists and overseeing every detail. One of the upcycled doors, airbrushed by KROD, was photographed by Dave Shelby in his backyard and used as the cover image for the exhibition flyer. Two other doors were featured in the background of a digital collage layered over one of Heatwole’s own paintings, showcasing work from all participating artists.

Among the standout contributions were two or three masterful pieces by Leslie Folksman, as well as works by several curated artists. Of the roughly 45 pieces included in the exhibition, only one sold—a surreal painting by Dave Curtis. Remarkably, it sold before the show had even finished being installed. Nothing else sold during the exhibit, a fact Heatwole still recalls with a mix of humor and admiration for the unexpected power of Curtis’s work.

New top hat painting 2025

This painting was completed in May of 2025 and was commissioned by one of Leslie’s long time friends and biggest art collector.

The artwork depicts a whirling, twisting formation of leaves emerging from what appears to be a black magician’s top hat. The leaves create a dynamic, spiraling movement upward from the container, forming an ethereal, tornado-like structure. The piece uses a dark, muted palette with earthy green tones against a shadowy background, creating a strong sense of contrast. The artwork has a dreamlike, surrealist quality, inviting viewers to consider the relationship between human-made objects and natural forces. The whirlwind of leaves suggests nature’s power to transform and transcend containment, perhaps symbolizing imagination or creativity breaking free from conventional boundaries.

Music, Myth and Magic

This imaginative trompe l’oeil painting titled “Music, Myth and Magic” by Leslie Folksman from Marshall, North Carolina presents a captivating ensemble of objects that blur the lines between reality and illusion. The centerpiece is a violin or viola, its wooden body and taut strings rendered with exquisite realism. Perched delicately atop the instrument is a small, whimsical fairy figure, adding an enchanting, fantastical element.

However, the most mesmerizing component is the top hat situated on the right side of the composition. From within this hat, a plume of swirling smoke emerges, as if from a magician’s trick. Defying gravity, playing cards and butterflies seem to magically levitate outwards, caught in a delicate, dream-like dance suspended in mid-air.

Other carefully crafted details include marbles or pearls scattered around, imbuing the scene with a sense of movement and dynamism. The overall atmosphere is surreal and whimsical, inviting the viewer to ponder the symbolic narratives and imaginative stories behind this peculiar arrangement of objects.

Folksman’s masterful trompe l’oeil technique creates an uncanny illusion of depth and tangibility that challenges the viewer’s perceptions of reality. The juxtaposition of the realistic violin with the fantastical fairy, levitating cards, and swirling smoke conjures a sense of enchantment and wonder, transporting the audience into a realm of pure imagination and delight.

The title perfectly encapsulates the three central themes and elements present in the composition:

Music is represented by the exquisitely rendered violin or viola that serves as the centerpiece, its wooden body and taut strings evoking the beauty and artistry of musical expression.

Myth manifests through the delightful fairy figure perched atop the instrument, introducing a fantastical, mythological dimension that sparks the viewer’s imagination and sense of wonder.

Finally, Magic is embodied by the top hat from which swirling smoke billows forth, accompanied by mysteriously levitating playing cards and butterflies that seem to defy the laws of physics, conjuring a sense of illusion and enchantment.

“Music, Myth and Magic” is an apt and evocative title that encapsulates the diverse themes Folksman has masterfully woven together in this trompe l’oeil tour de force. The name invites the viewer to embark on a fanciful journey where the realms of musical elegance, mythical folklore, and spellbinding magic intertwine in a captivating mélange of creativity and artistry.

One must appreciate all the cleverly rendered elements in this enchanting trompe l’oeil “still life”.