Berry Fritz

Nuevo Santander Gallery
Fine Art - Antiques - Old West Collectibles
717 North Main Street ¤ McAllen TX 78501
(956) 618-4959 ¤ fax (956) 618-1746
nsantander@aol.com

"Country Roses" $900 12" X 12" Oil on Canvas
©2008 Berry Fritz ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

"Soldadera" $2250 17" X 21" Oil on Canvas
©2008 Berry Fritz ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

"Papaya" $1100 Oil 11" X 14"
©2008 Berry Fritz ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

"September" $2200 18" X 24" Oil on Canvas
©2008 Berry Fritz ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

"In Praise of Peaches" $1100 11" X 14" Oil on Canvas
©2008 Berry Fritz ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

"Halloween Harvest" $1450 16" X 16" Oil on Canvas
©2007 Berry Fritz ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

PLEASE CLICK HERE
FOR INFORMATION ABOUT
PAINTED PORTRAITS
BY BERRY FRITZ

"Flowers For the Cook" $2500 22" X 28"
©2008 Berry Fritz ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

BERRY FRITZ

     Berry was born on the Isle of Wight, England but is a long time resident of
McAllen, Texas. She has taken courses at the City of London School of
Art and the University of Texas Pan American as well as workshops
with Zoltan Szabo, William Earle, Dick Turner, and Charles Baugh.
     Berry has been accepted in juried shows nationwide, most notably
in the National Oil and Acrylic Painters exhibition, where she won
Best of Show in 1995.
She was awarded signature membership in the Oil Painters of
America in 1999, having been accepted in their annual national exhibitions for the
last six years. In their 1998 competition, she won the Permalba Award for
Excellence. She has also earned Fellowship status in the American Artists'
Professional League.
    She won Best of Show or First in Oils at several area and regional juried
competitions, as well as earning numerous secondary prizes and purchase
awards both locally and nationally. Berry's works are included in the
collections of The McAllen International Museum,
The World Trade Center in New Orleans, The University of Texas
Pan American, The Edinburg
Public Library, The Harlingen Public Library, and The Bosque County
Conservatory of Fine Art. She has had illustrated instructional articles
published in The Artists' Magazine and American Artist. Berry's specialty
is lushly rendered still lifes, character studies, and portraits - all done in the classical tradition.

BERRY FRITZ
ARTIST'S STATEMENT

     An art teacher once said to me " all art should disturb." I was young and inexperienced at the time and didn't argue with him, but his admonition dismayed me because even during my teens I have rarely had an inclination to deliberately disturb people in the course of my daily life, let alone through my art. After reflection I decided that I was more comfortable soothing, uplifting, or at least reassuring people with art that is grounded in reality and that the disturbing stuff should be left to the nightly news and artists with more driven concerns.
     I therefore chose a quieter path, which offered equal or even greater technical challenges. I do not regret my choice at that fork in the road for I have found immense satisfaction exploring the form and color of flowers or the varying textures and shapes of the bric-a-brac that is heaped on the shelves of my studio.
     I have been particularly influenced by the Flemish and Dutch traditions of still life and interior scenes. Although I used to reveal in exotic subjects, such as Arabian coffee pots and incense burners, or Chinese ceramics and lacquer, these days I find myself moving closer to home, with rugged old coffee pots, Mexican ollas and old dolls touched by the passage of time. Fruit has been an increasing interest lately. An apple, for example, is not just anther round fruit. As a meticulous painter I love exploring the color and sheen of different apples, like the shiny solid yellow of Golden Delicious or the crimson and scarlet striations that make the Mackintosh so alluring.
     My particular inspirations in art history have been Velasquez, Vermeer, Rembrandt and Sargent. I am also awed by several artists of today - Joan Potter, Cary Ennis, John Morra and David Leffel among others.