Bruce Herchenrader
Bruce Herchenrader was born in Waterloo County,
Ontario, Canada in 1949 where he still resides today. Painting has been a
lifelong fascination for him beginning with his earliest renderings on the
kitchen walls. As a young student he showed an aptitude for painting but
in high school he pursued a variety of other interests.. He was uninvolved
with the creative process. He grew through that tumultuous era of "Tommy,"
"the Beatles" and the evolution of "Kraft Dinner." Emerging from this and
high school he did not turn to painting immediately but rather to a
succession of varied jobs. In 1972 he started to paint and sketch again,
being disillusioned with the things he had tried his hand at. In 1973 he
made the commitment to pursue his art seriously and produced his first
show that same year.
“I was drawn back to the creative process by an inner yearning which I
only understood more profoundly when I was painting. The pursuit and
process of creating is a rich and rewarding one."
The artist has learned most things pertaining to his craft on his own. He
credits the public libraries as being invaluable in that they allowed him
access to the work of those artists he admired. The artwork and techniques
of Robert Vickery, an American painter, were very influential to his
emerging style. This avenue of studying art has allowed him to glean
different techniques, incorporating them into his own approach to his
craft.
Over the years his subject matter has been varied reflecting an eclectic
interest in life. The human figure has been absent so that the viewer is
allowed to focus on the subject matter so as to project his or her own
thoughts into them.
I've always preferred to create images that provoke some inner passion or
evoke an emotional response. To share those private moments when you stand
on the shore of some wilderness lake where no tendrils from some jet hang
overhead, no distant glint from some sky bound building catches your eye,
no crumbling, competing, thundering traffic, just that serene, quiet
moment that refreshes and rekindles your belief in the beauty of life ".
In 1982 the artist, influenced by the printmaking of Canadian artist Ken
Dan by started to create his first serigraphs. He had produced some offset
lithographs prior to this but was never satisfied with the results.
"I wanted to use a process to create multiple artworks done by my own hand
so that the viewer could own an original. The serigraph, silkscreen method
use's stencils that the artist has to create, was the one that most
closely resembled my single originals."
Again, books were the vehicles of his learning. The artist's first
attempts were very primitive but he persisted. His serigraphs, today, have
evolved into sophisticated works of art valued by collectors in Canada,
the United States and Japan.
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
1973 Kitchener Public Library, Kitchener Ontario Beginnings
1974 Wilfred Laurier University, Waterloo, Ontario
1975 Gallery O, Toronto, Ontario
1978 Gallery Blue, Kitchener, Ontario
1979 La Cantinetta, Toronto, Ontario
1980 Granite Club, Toronto, Ontario Timothy Phillips Art Foundation
1981 The Phillips Estate, Toronto, Ontario, Timothy Phillps Art Foundation
1982 Lynn Cottler Gallery, New York, New York
1982 Westmount Interiors, Waterloo, Ontario
1982 Arnak art Gallery, Buffalo, New York
1983-84 Kitchener Waterloo Public Art Gallery, Kitchener, Ontario
1984 Hang Ups Gallery, London, Ontario
1984 Gallery Nouvelle, Kitchener, Ontario
1984 Arnak Art Gallery, Buffalo, New York
1986 University Club, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario
1988 Arnak Art Buffalo, New York
1988 Barber Gallery, Guelph, Ontario
1988 Framing Experience, Kitchener, Ontario
1988 Homer Waston House, Kitchener, Ontario
PRINCIPAL GROUP EXHIBITIONS
1973 Kitchener Waterloo Public Gallery, Artforms, 73
1974 Kitchener Waterloo Public Gallery, Artforms, 74
1974 Kitchener Waterloo Public Gallery, Arts Council Award Recipients
1975 Kitchener Waterloo Public Gallery, Artforms 75
1975 London Public Art Gallery
1976 University of Waterloo. Eight Form Town
1976 Kitchener Waterloo Public Gallery, Artforms,76
1976 Tom Thompson Art Gallery, Owen Sound, Ontario Jury Exhibition
1977 London Public Art Gallery, London, Ontario Jury Exhibition
1977 University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Images of Sports
1977 Gallery Chimers Invitational Group Show, Salem, Ontario
1978 Kitchener Waterloo Art Gallery, Artforms,78
1979 Kitchener Waterloo Public Gallery Artforms,79
1980 Kitchener Waterloo Public Gallery, Artforms,80
1981 Kitchener Waterloo Public Gallery, Artforms,81
1981 Arnak Art Gallery, Buffalo New York, Timothy Phillips Art Foundation
Group Show
1981 Westmount Interiors, Waterloo, Ontario Timothy Phillips Art
Foundation Group Show
1982 Timothy Phillips Art Foundation, Toronto, ON, Ontario Institute of
Painters Group Show
1982 Three Centuries Art Festival, Elora, Ontario
1983 International Print Exhibition. Republic of China Taipei Fine Arts
Museum
1985 Kitchener Waterloo Public Gallery, Artforms,85
AWARDS
1974 Ontario Arts Council Award
1975 Ontario Arts Council Award
1976 Ontario Arts Council Award
1976 Tom Thompson Memorial Gallery and Museum. Honourable Mention
1985 Kitchener Waterloo Public Gallery. Jurors Award
MAJOR COMMISSIONS
1984 Samuel Saidye Bronfman Art Foundation. A Gift to the Kitchener
Waterloo Art Gallery
1986 The Labatt National Brier
1986 Kitchener Waterloo Art Gallery Commemorative Print
1988 Sobara & Findley
1988 Kitchener Waterloo Rotary Polio Plus
Kitchener Waterloo Public Art Gallery, Kitchener Ontario, Kitchener,
Ontario
London Public Art Gallery, London, Ontario
Kitchener YMCA, Kitchener, Ontario
Beatrice Food Corp., Chicago, IL
Timothy Phillips Art Foundation, Toronto, Ontario
London Free Press, London Ontario
Budmark Textiles, Montreal, PQ
Heritage Group, Waterloo, Ontario
Occidental Petroleum, Stanford, Ontario
People Care Centre of Texas Inc., Richardson, Texas
