John Hetzel was born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1964 and grew up in nearby Concord. He attended Kent School, and received a BA in History from the University of Virginia in 1986. His artistic influences range from the renaissance greats to the impressionists Lautrec, Degas, and Pissaro. His work is also influenced by the abstract expressionist theories of Wassily Kandinsky, and the work of Jackson Pollock.

I drew often from a young age, and studied art history in college determining to be a painter soon after graduation observing Botticelli's "Primavera" at the Uffizi. I felt that if one of my paintings could inspire the rapture I exerienced in but one person, then I would have lived a successful life. I began painting from my own photos in NYC, intrigued by the play on time to capture a moment in the past and convey it from the present into the future. Though still inspired by my photos and this time juxtaposition, my style has evolved to rely less on merely recording detail, instead creating visceral accounts that document a rich, but anonymous existence. 
 

Exhibitions

May 2003, Prague,  Design Studio and Gallery De.Fakto..  Solo show-- Selected work in blue, and paintings from Lost in Love series.

April 2004, Radotín, Prague cultural center  U Koruny..  Solo show-- 75 painting retrospective.  A  diverse range of themes and media-- oils, watercolors, and collage.

May 2005  Charlottesville, Virginia..  Les Yeux Du Monde Gallery..  Group Show

September 2005 Charlottesville, Virginia.. Renaissance School Gallery.. Solo Show-- Selected watercolors and oils

December 2006.. Charlottesville, Virginia Starr Hill Gallery.. Solo Show-- Works from Chapeau series and freestyle ladies 

October 2008 Charlottesville, Virginia.. C&O Gallery..  Solo Show-- Oils and watercolors of a mostly local flavor

April-July 2010 Charlottesville, VA.. Skylight Gallery.. Group Show-- Favorite places from Prague

Personal~~ John and Natalie Rosa of Stamford, CT were married in the Pavilion II garden of University of Virginia on May 24th, 2008. They are the proud parents of Miss Remy Hammond Rose Hetzel who arrived April 9, 2009.