A Tribute to the Art and Life of William Hemmerling

It is with great sadness that we announce the death of a dear friend and internationally-acclaimed artist, William "Bill" Hemmerling. Bill died the morning of June 15th after a 2 year battle with cancer.

The Influence of southern folk culture and many diverse life experiences are incorporated into the eclectic painting of William Hemmerling. Bill was born in Chicago and moved to Ponchatoula, Louisiana in 1977. Upon retirement in March 2002, he finally found time to paint from the heart. He was an untrained artist, yet his work reflects sophistication and creativity in both subject matter and the use of unusual materials. Bill was constantly searching for and using found or recycled materials for his one-of-a-kind creations.

There is an element of fantasy in much of his work and he often painted well into the early morning hours. He explored various themes of New Orleans Jazz musicians, Down By the River, nudes and famous artists and authors. But, he is best known for his series of Southern African American folk culture depicting life in the old south entitled "Sweet Olive". The Sweet Olive images are copyrighted and trademarked.

His love of people, his enthusiasm and his humble, "offbeat" nature have brought a definite excitement and energy to his folk art. In the words of Bill Hemmerling, "One day when I let God out of the box I built, he danced with me".

Additional Notations:
In 2009, Bill was successfully represented at ART EXPO in New York, The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, and FI-ART in Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic. He has been honored by the New Orleans Museum of Art, the Northshore Regional Endowment for the Arts, and the African American Heritage Museum in Aurora, Illinois. He was also the 2005 poster artist for the New Orleans Jazz Fest and the poster artist for the 2008 and 2009 Strawberry Fest.

The building next to Bill's home will become The Hemmerling Musuem. The City of New Orleans looks forward to a space that continues to honor and showcase the work of this talented artist.

A portion of all purchases of Hemmerling works through Teri Galleries will be donated to The Cancer Association of Greater New Orleans.

To inquire about making a donation to The Cancer Association of Greater New Orleans on behalf of William Hemmerling, please contact Teri Galleries at 504-887-8588, 1-800-533-8374 or info@terigalleries.com.