About the Artist, Bradley Hendershot
Brad grew up painting alongside his father Ray, who was his greatest inspiration. He has been painting for his entire life, mostly in the water media, and he brings a wealth of knowledge and information gained through many years of trial and error. Brad has the ability to convey the most difficult of procedures with a simple step- by-step methodology. He has an intense devotion and enthusiasm for what he does, and he will bring his energy to the class. You are bound to enjoy Brad’s personality and sense of humor, as well as his countless stories of life as an artist, both in Pennsylvania and on the remote North Atlantic island of Monhegan.
​
The January 2015 issue of Radius magazine states "It is clear through his work that Hendershot is a traditional realist in the Brandywine School, a style that emphasizes attention to realism, an expression of optimism, and a faith in the goodness of America. It was developed by Howard Pyle, and taught beginning in 1900 at his Howard Pyle School of Art in Chadds Ford, PA. The Brandywine School, or Brandywine Tradition, is widely recognized as a distinctly American school of illustration and art which has continued through members of the school, including the Wyeth family of artists."
​
Hendershot says: "I am inspired by my daily life and I paint what is familiar to me--places and things that I know well, places and things that have a special meaning to me. My painting process is very personal to me, and I paint subjects that are intimate to my life in
rural Pennsylvania and on Monhegan Island, Maine. My work involves intense feelings, and I hope that my paintings are able to evoke a strong emotional response. Often, an event in my life triggers feelings that result in the mood of a painting. My paintings tell a story, and that story is my life. There is strong emotion in each piece, and I want to share that emotion."
​
Brad is primarily a painter of coastal Maine and rural Pennsylvania-- regions that he knows well, regions that have special meaning to him. Many of Brad’s subjects can be found close to his home and studio in Hoppenville, Marlborough Township, in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. "My Pennsylvania paintings depict the rural community and a way of life that is quickly fading into the past. Many of the timber and stone barns and mills, the houses and outbuildings, which are part of the Pennsylvania heritage, are rapidly disappearing. I’d like to feel that I am doing my part to preserve this history in my paintings." The Hendershot & Krieg Studio at Hoppenville House in Hoppenville, Pennsylvania, which he shares with his wife, artist Katharine (Katy) Krieg is open by chance or by appointment, or during one of the advertised scheduled open houses during the year.
​
Brad loves the sea and has been summering on Monhegan Island, Maine, for the past twenty-seven years, where he and Katy run an open studio/ gallery. "I try to capture the remoteness and isolation of this tiny fishing village twelve miles out to sea, which has been an artist’s colony for over 150 years." Painting on Island during the summer without the normal distractions of everyday life on the mainland allows for his full devotion to the craft. "I love the rugged shoreline of the mid-coast region and Monhegan Island where I enjoy the smell of salt air and the feeling of sea spray. I’ve always loved the sea, probably a combination of things –the boats, the energy of the surf, the rocks, the storms and the romance of it all. I hope this comes across in my paintings of the weathered clapboard lobster shanties and the granite towers of the lighthouses."
​
Although Brad paints with an intense devotion to realistic detail, he often employs artistic license for the sake of composition and to evoke a certain feeling or mood in the viewer. Using his creativity in the overall planning of a work, Brad emphasizes the features and details that best capture and produce the desired effect or emotion. Brad is forever continuing to learn and to grow, and he feels that each new work presents an opportunity to develop and refine his techniques.
​
Hendershot has earned signature artist membership in the American Society of Marine Artists (ASMA), signature professional artist status in the International Society of Marine Painters (ISMP), signature membership in the Pennsylvania Watercolor Society (PWS), and signature membership in the Philadelphia Water Color Society (PWCS). His works appear in public and private collections nationwide and around the world, including the museum and corporate collections of the Michener Museum, MBNA, Bank of Delaware, Delaware Trust, St. Luke's University Hospital, and the University of Delaware. Brad's paintings are currently issued as limited-edition giclee reproductions by Stonerow Publishing in Pennsylvania, and previously as open-edition reproductions by McGaw Graphics in Vermont and by Frames Plus in New York.
Web Presence and Artist Contact Information: web site: www.bradleyhendershot.com
web site for reproductions and small works: www.stonerowpublishing.com (click on the Store tab)
e-mail: bradley@bradleyhendershot.com
Artist Facebook: www.facebook.com/BradleyHendershotStudios
studio telephone: 215-872-2220
​
About the Artist, Katharine Krieg