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Artist Statement:
I try to create work that
lifts viewers above everyday
normalcy, and strive to find
gateways to new universes in
my painting. Throughout my
career, I have striven to
maintain artistic independence
and have produced a body of
work that is as eclectic as
the life experiences which
have forged my character. From
traditional landscape and
collage to efforts in abstract
expressionism i dub
“freestyle”, my work is a
living testament to two
decades of an ever-seeking and
evolving soul....
Further Information
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Artist Exhibitions:
2003 Solo Show de.fakto Studio
Prague
2004 Group Show Les Yeux Du
Monde Charlottesville,. VA
2005 Solo Show Renaissance
School Charlottesville, VA
July, 2006 Solo Show C&O
Gallery Charlottesville, VA
November, 2006 Solo Show Starr
Hill Gallery Charlottesville,
VA
October, 2008 Solo Show
"Vistas and Visions" C&O ...
Further Information
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Artist Galleries:
Coming Soon!
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Artist Reviews:
Coming Soon!
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Collections:
Coming Soon!
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Commissions:
Coming Soon!
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John Hetzel Biography:
| Biographical information for John Hetzel can be found below. The artist may choose what information to display. Sometimes the artist chooses not to display personal information to the general public. |
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Age
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44
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| Gender |
Male
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| Status |
Married
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| Children |
99
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| Religion |
transcendentalist |
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| Education |
Bachelor of Fine Arts |
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| Hobbies / Interests |
lacrosse, cooking |
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| Favorite Artistic Medium |
Watercolor
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| Favorite Arthistory Movement |
Post-Impressionism - (1885 - 1905)
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| Favorite Visual Artist |
Toulouse Lautrec
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| Favorite Work of Art |
Primavera
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| Biggest Artistic Inspiration |
Blank paper and paints |
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| Why Did You Become An Artist |
I felt if I could make one person feel like I felt observing Botticelli's 'Primavera', then I would have led a successful life. |
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| Your Personal Biography |
John Hetzel was born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1964 and grew up in nearby Concord. He attended Kent School, and received a BA in History from the University of Virginia.
He began painting from his own photographs in 1986 when he was a broker on Wall Street and then a bike messenger. He left the city in 1989 to work with thoroughbreds in Kentucky to become intimately familiar with horses as a subject. He painted in his spare time but found his work too consuming to be productive as a painter.
Hetzel left the states in Autumn, 1992 with the dream of becoming a painter in Europe. He visited Prague where post-Communist euphoria and reconstruction provided a dynamic energy. The beauty of the ancient city and its free culture provide an impetus in his painting that is still vibrant today.
In Prague, Hetzel co-found and led Pragmatic Painters with partner Matt Zolan. The firm was instrumental in designing Prague's rapidly developing club and restaurant scene. While gaining valuable experience in all facets of painting; mixing color, application, spatial orientation, and the effect of light, the artist developed a mature and more expressive style in his own painting.
In spring of 2003, he staged his debut show at the Prague 1 design studio and gallery 'de.fakto' which included a group of blue works and eight paintings from his 'Lost in Love' series.
He followed up his debut with a 75-painting retrospective entitled 'The Prague Years', staged at Radotin's cultural center ' U Koruny'. The exhibition documented the painter's developing style and featured a full range of his various genri and media including oils, watercolors, and collage from his 12 year stint in Prague.
In May 2004, the artist returned to his university town of Charlottesville, Virginia, where he took part in a group show at the gallery 'Les Yeux Du Monde' in November 2004, and staged his first U.S. solo show in February 2005 at the Rennaissance School Gallery on Charlottesville's downtown mall.
'Figures', Hetzel's 2nd solo show of 2006 opened July 6 at Charlottesville's C&O Gallery. The exhibition was comprised of twenty current paintings that eloquently trace Hetzel's synthesis of the figure throughout his assorted styles ranging from photorealistic and blue, to the Lost in Love series. The show is highlighted by 2006's Newstyle Ladies Series featuring nine watercolors and an oil. These works represent real women who have graced the painter's life floating against a magical background of intricate color swatches. Though the series draws elements from the painters who influenced it, namely Kandinsky, Lautrec, Klimt, it represents an emerging unique personal style.
The 'Here and There' show at Starr Hill Gallery in November 2006 featured current paintings that demonstrated the range of style in Hetzel's repertoire. In addition to works from the newstyle ladies series, the exhibition showcased a selection of 'en plein air' watercolors, and was highlighted by the initial works from a new series depicting the Chapeau Rouge.
Hetzel met his wife, Natalie Rosa in 2006 and they lived together in Westerly RI for two years before returning to Charlottesville, VA in 2008. In 2009, the couple celebrated the birth of their daughter Remy Hammond.
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