Herlinde Spahr
b. 1952
Orinda, CA
The Precipice Within
I was born in Flanders, Belgium, and came to UC Berkeley in 1977 as a graduate student. While studying Comparative Literature I was active as an exhibiting artist, learning stone lithography independently. In 1985, as I was finishing my dissertation, I was diagnosed as unipolar. While recurring mania ended my academic career, my “illness” marked the beginning of my artistic life. I borrow landscapes from the natural world to visualize and normalize the ardor within.
My technique on Formica involves tools and techniques from printmaking. As a self-taught artist, I could not have wished for more encouraging and enlightening teachers than those at UC Berkeley.
On view June 4 – July 31, 2021
Image: Herlinde Spahr, At the Precipice 1, 2018, mixed techniques on Formica panel, 47” x 29 inches. Courtesy of the Artist.