George comes by artistry honestly, from his father, Bruno.  Bruno worked as a customers’ man on Wall Street. Each day he commuted to Manhattan from Kew Gardens, in the rough of Queens, to dole out investment tips to his clients, many of them refugees like himself.  They had fled Austria in 1938 after the infamous Anschluss, when Hitler and his Nazi storm troopers marched into the city of Vienna, Austria’s capital, and took control of the country.

Bruno was a reserved, well-groomed gentleman who worked in a bank. He loved opera and classical music, collecting postage stamps, and walking in the woods for recreation. He also had a talent for drawing and painting, an interest that decades later he passed lovingly to his two sons.   Peter was George's brother, who ultimately became a big-wig Washington international lawyer.  George however, studied at Columbia and chose to become both a high school English teacher in suburban Westchester County, as well as an avid do-it-yourself builder of houses, the story of which he told in a book entitled The Builder’s Secret that topped Amazon’s best-seller list for two days in 1999. 

He also became the author of a shelf full of guides meant to help high schoolers prepare for the SAT, the ACT, and the AP English exam, as well as books meant to assist students in writing college application essays, building vocabulary, and understanding such literary works as The Grapes of Wrath and A Streetcar Named Desire.

It was only when he retired, at age 58, that George turned seriously to watercolor painting. What began as a hobby soon became a source of deep fulfillment. By joining a local art group, he discovered the unique thrill of having strangers connect with and purchase his work.

In 2005, George and his wife Susan relocated from Katonah, NY, to Moraga, drawn by the opportunity to be closer to their daughter and her family in Oakland’s Rockridge neighborhood. They quickly fell in love with Moraga’s small-town charm, scenic beauty, and proximity to both nature and city life, where he delights in the ambiance and the company of his fellow artists.   He regularly paints landscapes inspired by experiences as an avid hiker close to home, such as on the Moraga-Lafayette Trail and Mt. Diablo, as well as far-off destinations such as Yosemite, the Alps, Spain’s Camino de Santiago, and the mountains of Nepal.

He became an active member of the local art scene, first in Lafayette and then at the Moraga Art Gallery. Over the past two decades, he has participated in numerous local events, including the Lafayette Art & Wine Festival, the Moraga Pear Festival, and exhibitions at area libraries.

Now 89, George is a seasoned artist who still says, “Every new painting is a challenge. I’ve thrown lots of my efforts in the trash and often, but not always, tried again, and failed. For example: portraits... "My DNA just won’t cooperate.” 

You’ll find his successes, inspired by the Impressionists, landscapes and cityscapes, which depict local scenes and evocative glimpses of places he’s visited around the world, displayed at the Moraga Art Gallery. He is a featured artist for the latest exhibit, which runs from June 3 to August 16. 

His work is online at www.meart.com/gehrenhaft, and he is available for commissions of your favorite local and international landmarks.