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Hans Ressdorf Internationally known artist, Hans Ressdorf, passed away April 6, 2011. Beloved by his New Mexico patrons, Hans' impressionistic landscapes were unparalleled in color, intensity and subject matter. Hans was born in Mulheim, Germany in 1918. He was very involved in painting and architectural studies. When war appeared imminent, Hans booked passage to Brazil , but was stopped by the Nazis. Even though he was inducted into the service, he spent most of his time in Paris, where he started an artist colony and sold his work alongside French artists. Towards the end of the war, he was captured by Allied Forces and sent to a prison camp in Scotland . There, he continued to paint and trade paintings to the Scots for cigarettes and painting supplies. Upon his release, he returned to Germany and became involved in the Berlin Airlift. He continued to paint and trade paintings for goods. He was encouraged to immigrate to America , which he did in 1949, arriving in New Jersey with paintings in hand. He convinced a gallery owner on 57th Street in New York City to exhibit his work. The gallery sold 52 of his paintings. This gave Hans his financial start in America . Using his architectural background to work, he began building homes and painting in between projects. In 1968, he met his wife, Joan. In 1972 Hans moved his family to Colorado Springs, CO where he built and designed the interiors of McDonalds' restaurants. He won the best new interior design for McDonalds' in 1975. He continued to paint in his free time until his retirement where he devoted himself full-time to his art. He found the mountain west an inspiration for many of his works. As he traveled the Southwest, he fell in love with it's colors, textures, and beauty. His paintings evolved to portray the rich heritage of the southwest. Hans was the recipient of numerous art awards throughout the country. Hans could be found every day in front of his easel painting beautiful pieces for everyone to enjoy. Hans continued to paint until he was 92 and said, "I will leave this world with a palette knife in my hand because art is my passion." His first introduction to a gallery in the Southwest, was with Weems Gallery in Albuquerque . "He brought 5 paintings and all of them sold within 1 hour," remembers Mary Ann Weems. Hans went on to exhibit in many other prestigious galleries throughout the Southwest and the entire country never forgetting his Albuquerque connections. He continued to sell & exhibit at Weems International Artfest until his health deteriorated and he was unable to make the trip. "Hans & his wife Joan were always at Artfest, where Hans generally sold out in two days to the amazement Artfest patrons." states former Artfest Coordinator, Laurie Fernandez. Hans and Joan looked forward to going to Weems Artfest every year. They loved their Weems family as well as the many friends they had met along the way. "Joan & Hans Ressdorf were beloved by us as well as their customers and we still have people asking about them. Hans' customers would flock into Artfest every year and paintings would fly off the wall. There wasn't and never will be another artist like Hans" states Mary Ann Weems. "His work is glorious and to own a Ressdorf painting, is to have the very best in 20th century Impressionist work. We will not only miss representing his work, but Joan and Hans were also a large part of our Weems Family. They were wonderful people." Send correspondence to: Joan Ressdorf 5704 Huerfano Dr Colorado Springs, CO 80923
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