PETER HELLER
Peter Heller has artistic roots that are deep and rich, beginning with a grandmother who was a watercolorist in the 1920’s and a mother who was a noted sculptor in her retirement years between 1980-2017. Nurtured in an aesthetic environment, Heller’s artistic inspirations draw on a lifetime of travel in the context of working as a well-known economist and author for the International Monetary Fund. That occupation allowed
him to visit almost all the world’s great museums in the United States, Europe, China, Japan, Southeast Asia, Africa and South America, and to collect pottery and art in these diverse worlds. His sensitivity to color was furthered by a lifetime of gardening in Washington DC and the Berkshires of Western Massachusetts.
Heller’s watercolor painting career began at age 70 in his retirement years, studying at the famed 92nd Street Y in Manhattan with well-known New York watercolorists and teachers including Bonnie Steinsnyder, Melanie Kozol and Wennie Huang. A lifetime of international travel has provided him with a wealth of imagery to draw upon from such diverse worlds as Iceland, Norway, Argentina, Japan, Bhutan, Maine, Costa Rica,
Scotland and Manhattan. Heller is drawn to vivid landscapes, quirky characters and scenes, and sensitive moments with his grandchildren. “My photography has always sought to capture those fleeting moments of light and contrast, as well as rich mixes of color and harmony, and these are the fertile grounds that inspire my watercolor paintings.”
The artist shares cherished moments, of people and places close by and around the world. His work evokes delight, wonder and serenity and a kind of nostalgia that calls us to pay attention and appreciate the essential beauty all around us. This state of observance is aligned with the Lodge at Woodloch’s mission, so we are thrilled to show Heller’s provocative, sensual watercolors at our gallery for the first time.
