Fred Himmelsbach
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Biography
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Fred Himmelsbach was born near Munich, Germany in 1942 and migrated to Australia at age 12. Fred developed an interest in art since childhood, inspired by watching his father paint landscapes in watercolours. He considers himself to be a self-taught artist with limited formal training.
In 1960, Fred studied Commercial Art at East Sydney College, but eventually dropped out of the course to pursue a musical career.
As a full-time musician, Fred had little time or desire to do any artwork over the next two decades, except for occasional freelance assignments for posters, album covers and logos. His interest in Art was rekindled when, in 1985, he was invited to join a local Art Society.
In 1988 Fred studied Portraits in Oils with Patricia Moran for a year. Upon Pat's recommendation, Fred was accepted to join the Victorian Arts Society, where he attended Life Drawing sessions and exhibited several paintings.
Fred teamed up with the Riddells Creek Art Society in 1998. He painted with the group for 12 months and won the award for 'Most Popular Painting at the RCAS annual show.
In 1999, Fred began work on his first Solo project, "The Storyteller", a series of paintings depicting the culture, legends and spirituality of the Native Americans. His Solo exhibition opened at the Heathcote Winery on September 26, 2003 and was on display until November 6 of that year.
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Statement
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Art, whether musical or visual, are gifts from Creator. As humans, we are endowed with these gifts to communicate and share our thoughts and feelings with our brothers and sisters on this planet. I don't feel comfortable with "Categories", mainly because I believe each person's work is unique - an extension of themselves. Besides, artists' styles change as they evolve physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. My influences lean towards the traditional way of painting, like Hans Heysen and Frederick McCubbin. Even so, I can see beauty, soul and meaning in just about any style of art, no matter what it's called. Whenever I paint a picture, or play my guitar, I feel good inside and I want to share this feeling with the rest of the world. To me, Art is sacred, because it is given to us from Creator, the unsurpassed Artist of 'All That Is'.
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Exhibitions
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Riddells Creek Art Society 1986 & 99
Victorian Arts Society 1989 to 91
Sunbury Art Gallery 1988 to 99
Woodend Lions Art Show 1999
Camberwell Rotary Art Show 1999 & 2000
Bendigo Rotary Art Show 1999 & 2000
Dandenong Rotary Art Show 2000
Heathcote Winery 2003, first Solo exhibition, "The Storyteller", featuring paintings about American Indian culture and Spirituality.
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