|
Howard Behrens was born on August 20th, 1933 in Chicago, Illinois. His father was a commercial printer and his mother worked as a seamstress. From an early age, Behrens knew he was destined to be an artist. In 1950, at the age of seventeen, Behrens took up painting after being bedridden due to a sledding accident. Behrens received his BA from the University of Maryland, where he was encouraged by his zoology professor to go into medical illustration at Johns Hopkins University. He was accepted at the school, but since only four students a year could enroll, he was forced to sit out for one year. During that time, Behrens taught art at a local high school and continued painting in oils. He soon came to the realization that he was more interested in other forms of artistic expression, not only the technical aspects of illustration. He then enrolled in the graduate fine arts program at the University of Maryland, earning his masters degree in painting and sculpture in 1964. After graduation. he was hired by the Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C., where he was employed for seventeen years. He rose to the position of Chief Artist during his last ten years with the department. He continued to paint on weekends and nights. In 1976, he reached a turning point when he adopted the palette knife, a stylistic change which allowed his paintings to "come alive" with bright, rich color. He now paints only with his palette knife. inspiration for Behrens comes mainly from his extensive travels. He continues to find inspiration in the warm climate and bright sunlight of the East Coast beaches. Whatever the subject matter, Behrens presents a world toward which more and more collectors of fine art are drawn, discovering there unlimited visual pleasures. Findlay Galleries, West Palm Beach - 1989 Hanson Galleries, Sausalito and Carmel - 1990 Wentworth and Ambassador Galleries - 1991 Wentworth Galleries - 1992 Wentworth Galleries, Florida and Boston - 1993 |