There’s something about the summer. All that fun in the sun really gets us thinking about and appreciating the great outdoors. So it is little wonder that this month’s PQL Author of the Month is one who is dedicated to celebrating the beauty and majesty of the natural world through his art. That’s right, this month we’re recognizing the work of Stratford, Ontario wood engraver….

GERARD BRENDER À BRANDIS

A member of the Wood Engravers’ Network, Gerard Brender à Brandis has produced hundreds of drawings, wood engravings and watercolours of plants, landscape, buildings and musical instruments. These images have appeared in books, including Wood, Ink and Paper, A Gathering of Flowers from Shakespeare and The Grand River (all published by The Porcupine’s Quill) as well as in his own handmade editions. His work is represented in the collections of many galleries, including the Art Gallery of Ontario Library, the University of California, Santa Barbara and the McMaster Library and Archives. They are also found among the collections of the Royal Botanical Gardens in Hamilton, Ontario, the Missouri Botanic Garden, the Arnold Arboretum and the Hunt Botanical Library. His garden and his studio are located in Stratford, Ontario.

‘Gerard’s engravings are finely attuned to the details of place, whether in representing the built heritage of southern Ontario, or the shades and contrasts of the small and out-of-the-way copses of flora and fauna, marshes and pastures that line the river. Each engraving brings significance and nuance to these overlooked places, and folds them into a conversation with the larger historical and ecological narrative….’

—Grant Hurley, Alcuin Society Blog

You can browse some of his work in the following five volumes published by the Porcupine’s Quill:

• Wood, Ink & Paper (1980)
• A Gathering of Flowers from Shakespeare (2006)
• A Wood Engraver’s Alphabet (2008)
• Concord of Sweet Sounds (2009)
• The Grand River (2015)

View Samples:

End of Winter on the Upper Grand River

The Junction of the Nith and Grand Rivers at Paris

Grand River Mills, Caledonia

(From The Grand River)

Find Out More About Gerard Brender à Brandis on the Web

• Learn more about Gerard Brender à Brandis’s upcoming events and studio tours at An Artist’s Cottage on the Stratford Arts website.
• Watch a fantastic interview and catch a glimpse of his studio in this Wandering Educators video on Youtube.
• Read a biography of Gerard Brender à Brandis in The Devil’s Artisan issue 64.

Don’t Forget!

Images from Gerard’s A Gathering of Flowers from Shakespeare are on display at Gallery Stratford. The exhibition is on now, and will run until the end of September. Plus, don’t miss the chance to hear Gerard give an artist’s talk at the gallery in mid-September!

When: Friday, July 20, 2018 – Sunday, September 30, 2018
Artist’s Talk: Tuesday, September 11, 2018, 10:45 a.m.
Where: Gallery Stratford, 54 Romeo St. S., Stratford, ON

Thank you for stopping by to learn more about our PQL Artist of the Month, Gerard Brender à Brandis. Be sure to check in next month to discover the work of another hidden gem!

All the best,