Memoir Painting

Gebhardt Egos, competition, unsolicited opinions — two artists under one roof, is that even possible? It is, if those two artists are Angela and Kris Gebhardt. Decades of life lessons and experiences are visually rendered by husband and wife, large- format, mixed-media artists — peacefully. Gebhardt pieces don’t just hang on a wall, they dominate it. They make statements that stop people and start conversations. To achieve the power in their works, the Gebhardts don’t collaborate and rarely do they share opinions about projects in progress, or otherwise. While they both use a variety of the same materials to create their art, what they produce is distinctly different from each other, and their peers. Hers 
Only Angela knows what truly inspires her pieces. She expresses emotions in color and shapes that soothe, delight and excite. They are pretty and pleasing. Every letter, note or stroke of paint, is re-worked until perfect. Images, numbers and words are tattooed and layered in acrylic, charcoal, oil, chalk, graphite, paper and more — to form her “auto-paint- ographies”— telling a story that will remain forever hers. Angela’s intensely personal style resonates with patrons around the world and people connect with her work on another plane. Do they know her pain and sadness? Revel in her joy? Bask in her warmth? Like that which inspires Angela Gebhardt, we will never know. His 
By contrast, Kris’ works are gritty — both literally and figuratively — gray and layered, his subjects are centrally focused over a massaged background. Born out of necessity, he engineered what was available for a base. Practiced over time and throughout many paintings this strategy became his style — matching subject matter to canvas and frame. Used cardboard, worn and tattered tarps stapled to one-by-fours, boxes and dismantled furniture are just a few of the starting points for a Kris Gebhardt “paintumentary.” Each one tells a story about someone he has met, worked with and known — whether that is an actual person, the archetype of a being or himself. His inspiration comes from a variety of places like the Greatest Generation, friends, employers and his own non-artistic career. Gebhardt is proficient at portraying Every Man and his struggles. Never setting out to become an artist, Gebhardt wears many hats. He is a husband, father, entrepreneur, photographer, author, personal trainer and business man and draws his scenes from his many vocations. Theirs 

Whether you own an Angela Gebhardt, a Kris Gebhardt or one (or more) of each, undoubtedly, their unique individual styles have caught your eye. In this booklet, you will find more of her serene-scapes and his salty-characters. Heroes, villains, animals, influences and a list of prestigious international art shows where you are most likely to meet the artists and see their combined exhibit; along with some of their greatest hits are just beyond this page. Enjoy the art and appreciate learning a little more about the artists, the paintings and their backstory.