Alberta born in 1940, Richard Berghammer grew up on a farm in Northern Saskatchewan near Lloydminster. At the early age of 5 or 6 his grandfather who was a harness maker, taught him to draw flowers on wet leather surfaces and the young boy quickly changed these simple drawings to animals he could see around him every day. And that was the beginnings and the making of a wildlife artist who today is one of Canada's most accomplished contemporary painters. Although Berghammer lives in Northern Ontario, he has been a champion of North American Wildlife art and works on subjects from the Northern end of Ellesmere Island to the Southern tip of Mexico.

Berghammer loved wildlife but learned to appreciate all forms of realist art. One of his favorite painters was Count Von Imhoff a religious painter who lived near St. Walburg not 20 miles from the Berghammer farm. But as he grew older he idealized the work from another German painter who painted in early Quebec from 1815 to 1872. This artist was Cornelius Krieghoff who's life was spent among the natives and early European settlers who came to Canada for a new life.

Today at 64, Berghammer still paints on a leather surface using acrylic paints and high-spirit dyes. He paints on canvas and cardboard as well but believes that his heart is with three-dimensional leather and one can easily see why he makes a distinction between the two mediums. His work he says, is much better on leather but those who purchase his canvas art believe they are wonderful, and at a fraction of the cost. The leather paintings can cost upwards of $80,000.00 while most of his canvas paintings sell for less than ten thousand dollars. Reproductions start as low as $10.00 each. Mr. Berghammer is listed in The Dictionaries of The Masters in most world publications.

Berghammer lives with Multiple Sclerosis and with that he suffers from seizures, aphasia and severe swelling of the spine. He lives with his daughter in Northern Ontario Canada and tries to paint every day that his ailment will allow. Please visit Arts Canada or www.richardberghammer.com and e-mail him at [email protected] Visit him any time in Elliot Lake but phone first to make sure that he is home.

Phone: 705-461-7697 or Fax: 705-461-3221