What is it that inspires a person to do what’s in their heart, to finally do what they’ve dreamed of doing their entire life?

Perhaps fifty-two year old Gerald A. Hjelm could have told us when in June of 1988 he walked into my office and declared triumphantly: “I quit my job! I am going to paint!” Less than a year later, a colorful standout in the mail grabbed my attention and confirmed Jerry’s declaration: the invitation to his first show.

Now, twenty years later, as I reflect back on his career, I realize I have come to love many of his inspirational paintings. Look into them deeply and you’ll find yourself transported to another place. And in this place, you’ll discover the peace, clarity and inspiration you seek again and again.

Today, in the same spirit of courage, possibility and imagination that called him forth twenty years ago, landscape painter Jerry Hjelm, winner of numerous national awards, marks a new beginning with fourteen of his favorite originals as giclee prints – the Jerry Hjelm Twentieth Anniversary Collection.

As the poet Rainer Maria Rilke expressed it, our dreams often call us from the sunny hill, yet, in the moment, all we feel is the weight of our life’s struggles. If you knew Jerry as I do, you would know his intention is for you to find the inspiration to pursue the deepest desires of your own heart, the beauty of his paintings taking you to a place where you, too, will discover the courage to create.

Chuck Bothe, MA, LP

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