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 to Dutch parents, and his obsession with art was born soon after the age of six. He spent three years studying and painting in Amsterdam and London, especially taking in the works of Constable, Turner, and Rembrandt. Then, in 1982, Pekel 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 he 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, in 1989 won the Camberwell Travel Scholarship, and in 2004 the Camberwell Best Oil Prize. 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.

SELECTED AWARDS:
2004 – Camberwell Rotary Art Show’s Best Oil
1995 – Camberwell Rotary’s Gold Medal Watercolour Prize
1993 – Camberwell Rotary’s Gold Medal Watercolour Prize
1993 – Alice Bale Award
1989 – Camberwell Travel Grant
1989 – Camberwell Rotary’s Gold medal Watercolour Prize
1989 – Alice Bale Award
1988 – Wesley Art, judged by Director of the National Gallery
1987 – Mountbatten Award
-Over 100 additional awards

SELECTED COLLECTIONS:
Artbank
National Leasing Collection – Canberra
Nillumbik Art Collection
Royal Overseas League London

BOOKS IN WHICH PEKEL’S WORKS APPEAR:
“Australian Impressionist and Realist Artists” compiled by Tom Roberts
“120 years of Watercolours” by the Australian Realist Artists
“Artists and the Galleries of Australia and New Zealand” by Max Germaine
“Profile on Contemporary Watercolours”