Howard Behrens

Howard Behrens developed a painterly approach he called “controlled spontaneity,” using a palette knife to lay down substantial passages of oil paint. The resulting ridges and shifts of hue make texture and color part of the subject itself.

His landscapes draw on travels to coastal and garden settings, with sunlit water, architecture, and foliage simplified into bold shapes. Rather than describing every detail, Behrens builds atmosphere through luminous color and the visible movement of paint.