My History in Art: From My Father

I developed a love for art at a very early age. My father, Josef Weber, was born in Eindhoven, The Netherlands (or Holland) near the same town as was Vincent Van Gogh. I have been to the intimate streets of those towns and there is an indescribable picturesque quality to everything. Artists seem to be born there, or shaped there. My mother, Vera Weber, was a 21-year-old new transplant in the United States from Hamburg, Germany, and like my father, came to this country seeking a better life after surviving many years of pre and post-War devastation in Europe. They met and married and settled the family in Birmingham, Alabama in 1971. All in all, the Webers were a bit the "odd" family on the Baptist streets of Center Point, Alabama.

My father was always making art in some shape, form or fashion. He was either hacking away at a large treestump, etching off pieces of marble on the back porch to reveal the form underneath or simply sketching life as it passed. I don't really remember ever seeing him stop creating something. He was an amazing engineer with patents, degrees and overwhelming creative energy. The land and his custom-built house in Remlap, Alabama later became his gift to our family. I became very close with his artwork and sketching journals after he died in 2002 of a brain tumor. He was 67. It was the hardest time in my 36 years but it reaffirmed my love of art and visual concepts. Later, it was in his honor that I started the gallery and began displaying many of his diverse works. Integrating the salon and the gallery was an interesting process that affirmed many decisions. Art can truly be given the proper context and attention and people will notice no matter what the setting. It has truly been an inspiration to see how others respond to my father's artistic creations on display and the many shows the gallery has opened. And it gives me such a sense of pride to have been given the gift of art from my father!

Art can bring people together in so many ways. Art opens the doors to so many creative avenues. It grasps your mind and heart and connects with your creative spirit. The connection that happens never gets old and it never fades. Art is truly a life-long enjoyment that is hard to price in dollars and cents. Its value is immeasurable when it connects with you. It is with this philosophy that the gallery officially opens its NEW doors to another 5 great years ahead!