Herman Pekel

      Passing Time
Herman Pekel • Oil                              Passing Showers
Herman Pekel • Oil   
                      Before They Open
Herman Pekel • Oil                      Afternoon Walk
Herman Pekel • Oil   
                      Distant Clouds
Herman Pekel • Oil                            Looking Back
Herman Pekel • Oil   
                  Heading Home
Herman Pekel • Oil   
                        Jagged Ravine
Herman Pekel • Oil                         Sulfer Flats
Herman Pekel • Oil                                    Checkin' the Rig
Herman Pekel • Oil                              Amsterdam, Holland
Herman Pekel • Oil   
                        Dancing Clouds
Herman Pekel • Oil                       Fireside Reflections
Herman Pekel • Oil                       Café Latté
Herman Pekel • Oil   
                    Remembrance
Herman Pekel • Oil   
                   

Herman Pekel

Painting starts with a passion for paint, and if a passion for paint defines a painter, then Herman Pekel is a painter. His is a form of painting that mixes traditional impressionistic values with versatility-- an honest interest in contemporary art.

The influences of the Australian and European impressionist movements are obvious in Herman Pekel’s work, the emphasis is always technique, and the message portrayed is, "It’s not what you paint, but how you paint it."

"I’ve painted almost everything-- landscapes, street scenes, industrial scenes, interiors of pubs and cafes," Herman says. "I get bored if I exploit a particular subject. For instance, I started doing industrial subjects around some of the ugly wharves of Melbourne, but then I moved onto something really attractive, perhaps a view from a hill. I have also been fascinated painting old bars and cafes around inner Melbourne. Painting this way, I feel inspired before I paint and quite often I can’t wait to paint.

I hope my paintings are not just illustrations, but reflect a deep insight into the subject. Some of these works may reflect the beauty I see in nature and the passion of using paint, whether transparent watercolour or opaque oil paint. A painting with integrity speaks for itself, and I prefer to dwell on purity, intuition, and integrity."

Herman Pekel was born in Ringwood, Melbourne in 1956, and his obsession with art was born soon after the age of six. In 1982, Herman undertook a fine arts degree at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology. Dale Hickey, Jeff Makin and Clifton Pugh are just a few of the contemporary artists under which Herman studied. This cultivated his appreciation of contemporary art, as well as experimentation with abstract impressionism.

Herman was 17 when he held his first solo exhibition in Melbourne. It was an extraordinary success, and his success has only continued. In 1989, 1993 and 1995, Herman won the Camberwell Gold Medal Prize, and in 1989 won the Camberwell Travel Scholarship. Apart from these notable honors, Herman has won over 100 major awards.

Herman’s works are shown in many private, municipal and corporate collections throughout Australia and overseas.