Bradley_Hendershot

Bradley Hendershot, Ray Hendershot

Bradley Hendershot is a painter of coastal Maine and rural Pennsylvania - regions he knows well and have special meaning for him. "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 which are part of the Pennsylvania heritage, are rapidly disappearing. I'd like to feel that I have preserved them in my paintings... In Maine, I paint the rugged shoreline of the mid-coast region and Monhegan Island...I've always loved the sea - the boats, the energy of the surf, the rocks, the storms and romance of it all..." Brad works in watercolor which he finds challenging and rewarding, liking the spontaneity and freshness of the medium and also uses dry brush. His early inspiration and guidance came from his father artist Ray Hendershot. Brad paints with an intense devotion to realistic detail, but also employs artistic license in composition to capture the desired effect or emotion. He is a signature member of the American Society of Marine Artists, the Pennsylvania Watercolor Society, & Philadelphia Water Color Society. His work appears in public and private collections nationwide and around the world, including the collections of MBNA, Bank of Delaware, & the University of Delaware. He exhibits widely in Delaware, Maine, NJ, and Pennsylvania, and holds an open studio each summer on Monhegan Island.

Ray Hendershot was a signature member of the American Watercolor Society and the National Watercolor Society. He exhibited widely and won many awards during his 65 year career. "My world," he said "is a simple life in a simpler time, far removed from the difficulties and complications of today. It speaks of values and dedication to a life of honest, wholesome living." Ray was a painter of textures. Although he selected barns, farmhouses, wagons, and fence rows, his true subjects were their surfaces. He used a limited palette of muted earth tones and gradually built his textures in alternating layers of wash and dry brush, creating surface depth that enriches the painting. Ray said of his work, "In painting, my goal is to communicate to the viewer my emotional response to the subject. How well I am able to do this is the measurement of my success as an artist."

Ray was also a signature member of the International Society of Acrylic Painters and the National Acrylic Painters Association of the United Kingdom. He authored two books: My World: The Paintings of Ray Hendershot , 2009 and Texture Techniques for Winning Watercolors, 1999.

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