About Simpler Gifts Press and The Bro Halff Gallery
Simpler Gifts Press, the Bro Halff Gallery, and the Bro Halff Gallery, Hawaii, LLC feature paintings, visual poetry, limited-edition prints, books, mobiles, sculptures, t-shirts, and other artworks by San Diego writer, painter, and sculptor Bro Halff. Most works are priced between $15 and $900; all are unique objects of beauty and imagination.
Bro Halff’s writing and artwork have been described as:
—Richard Hamburger, Artistic Director, Dallas Theater Center
“[His] work...is impressive in its variety...traces of e.e. cummings’ whimsicality are in his lines...”
—Robert Pincus, Art Critic, San Diego Union-Tribune
“True, it’s Halff the watercolor artist and poet who sees beauty in the countryside. But it’s Halff the seeker-of-kindness who sees beauty in...people and...small town life.”
—Janell Cole, The Bismarck Tribune
About the Artist
Bro Halff is a Hawaii and North Dakota artist who is known for his watercolors and poetry. Born in 1946, he was raised in Dallas, Texas, and educated in Texas, New Hampshire, Maryland, and California. He has lived in Dallas, Washington, DC, Kansas City, the Bahamas, Spain, Peru, Baltimore, Malibu, San Diego, Hawaii, and Bismarck, ND. Since 1972, he has pursued a career of writing, in several genres, including lyrical and visual poetry, and of painting and sculpting. His visual poetry fuses linguistic, visual and sculptural elements into beautiful artworks, which give each poem a spatial reality. The central theme of his lyrical poetry is the celebration of human diversity and of nature. His watercolors depict, with radiant colors and bold composition, rural, urban and small-town America. He recently completed two books of poetry, prose sketches, and watercolors of North Dakota. Another work of poetry and pen-and-ink drawings, Seasonal Delights, was published by the Mellen Poetry Press in 1999. Mr. Halff currently resides on Kauai, in Hawaii.
Education
B.A., majoring in English and Spanish, SMU, Dallas, Texas (1968); Phi Beta Kappa; Valedictorian
Georgetown University Program at The University of Madrid, Spain, junior year of B.A. (1966-67)
M.A., with honors, in creative writing, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD (1973)
M.L.A., with honors, in history of ideas, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD (1980)
Study of watercolor painting with Don Blaisdell, Santa Monica College, Los Angeles, CA (1983-1984)
Advanced courses in art and literature, UCLA, Los Angeles, and UCSD, San Diego, CA (1985-1989)
Employment
| 1973 to date | Writer and artist. Produced five bound books of art and poetry, over fifty visual-poetry and mixed-media works, four large sculptures, several hundred watercolors, and several thousand poems |
| 1983 to date | Owner and Director of Simpler Gifts Press, 1050 Rosecrans St., Suite D, San Diego, CA 92106; 619-226-7393; FAX 619-226-2988 |
| 1978 to 1994 | Editor, The Blake Group. Senior acquisitions editor for a Texas-based literary agency. |
| 1969 to 1972 |
Foreign Service Officer, U. S. Department of State, Washington, DC and the Bahamas |
Representative Collections Holding Works
Rare Book Collection, New York City Public Library, New York City, NY
Fine Arts Library, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA
Dallas Public Library, Dallas, TX
Milton Eisenhower Library, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
Fondren Library, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX
Representative Exhibits
| 1984 to 1994 | Artworks, Los Angeles, CA; Califia, San Francisco, CA |
| 1985 to 1995 | Printed Matter, New York, NY |
| 1986 | California State University, Northridge, CA |
| 1991-1992 | Armory Center for the Arts, Pasadena, CA |
| 1992 | Bard Hall Gallery (solo retrospective show) San Diego, CA |
| 1993 | Pacific Rim Gallery, San Diego, CA |
| 1994 |
Cottage Gallery, San Diego, CA |
| 1995 |
Cabrillo Art Center, San Diego, CA |
| 1996 |
Ink People Center for the Arts (Honorable Mention), Eureka, CA |
| 1997 |
Fifth Street Gallery, Bismarck, ND |
| 1998 | Center for Visual Art, Oakland, CA |
| 1999 | Open Studios '99, San Diego, CA |
| 2000 |
San Diego Museum of Art, San Diego, CA |
| 2001 |
Gallery 522, Bismarck, ND |
| 2002 |
Eleanor Bliss Center for the Arts, Steamboat Springs, CO |
| 2003 |
Berkeley Art Center, Berkeley, CA |
| 2004 |
California Watercolor Association, 36th National Exhibition, San Francisco, CA |
| 2005 |
Arts Council of South East Missouri, Cape Girardeau , MO |
| 2006 |
Visual Work Related to Song, Prose or Poetry National Juried Exhibition, Monmouth, OR |
| 2007 | Long Beach Arts, "Room with a View Exhibition", Long Beach, CA Westmoreland Art Nationals Juried Exhibition, Latrobe, PA |
| 2008 | SDAI Members Exhibition, San Diego, CA Midland Art Association Spring Art Show, Midland, Texas 12 12 Gallery Manchester National Juried Fine Art Exhibition 2008, Richmond, Virginia Harrison Art League Juried Exhibition, Harrison, Arkansas Westmoreland Arts & Heritage Festival, Westmoreland County Community College, Youngwood, PA Lancaster County Art Association Exhibition, Strasburg, PA, Honorable Mention Phoenix Gallery National Juried Competition, New York, NY Central Coast Watercolor Society: Aquarius 2008 Pacific Regional Exhibition, Morro Bay, CA Long Beach Arts: Fall 2008 Exhibition, Long Beach, CA BAGA Fall Show: Autumn Artistry, Bismarck, ND Rio Brazos Art Exhibition: Tarleton State University, Granbury, Texas San Diego Art Institute: San Diego, California Child’s Eye View Exhibition: Fredericksburg Center for the Creative Arts, Fredericksburg, VA Life’s Unique Journey Exhibition: Northwest Cultural Council, Barrington, IL The Color of Money Exhibition: Fredricksburg Center of the Creative Arts, Fredricksburg, VA- Honorable Mention Member Artist Show: Bismarck Art and Galleries Association, Bismarck, ND |
| 2009 | Earth-Air-Fire Exhibition: Long Beach Arts, Long Beach, CA Powerful and Fragile Earth: Fredericksburg Center for Creative Arts, Fredericksburg, VA National Exhibition: Memphis/ Germantown Art League, Memphis, TN A Fine Line: Fredericksburg Center for Creative Arts, Fredericksburg, VA National Juried Exhibition: Lancaster County Arts Association, Strasburg, PA-Honorable Mention Local Colour: Quinlan Visual Arts Center, Gainesville, GA Connections: Fredericksburg Center for Creative Arts, Fredericksburg, VA Keystone National 2009: The Art Center School and Galleries, PA Rio Brazos Art Exhibition: Tarleton State University, Granbury, Texas Autumn Artistry 2009: Bismarck Art and Galleries Association, Bismarck, ND 29th Annual Mountain Art Show: Mountain Art Show, Bernardsville, NJ Secret Places: Fredericksburg Center for the Creative Arts., Fredericksburg, VA Member Artist Show: Bismarck Art and Galleries Association, Bismarck, ND 2009 National Open Exhibition: Long Beach Arts, Long Beach, CA- Honorable Mention 2009 Juried Exhibition: New Jersey Center for Visual Arts: Summit, NJ 25th Annual International Exhibition: University of Texas at Tyler, Tyler, TX |
| 2010 | 2010 Works on Paper: Long Beach Arts, Long Beach, CA 42nd Annual National Visual Arts Exhibition: Visual Arts Society of Texas, Denton. TX Westmoreland Art Nationals: Westmoreland Arts and Heritage Festival, Latrobe, PA Fredericksburg Center for the Creative Arts: Reflections, Fredericksburg, VA 2010 Members Exhibition: The 2nd City Council Art Gallery: Long Beach, CA 36th Annual Alaska Watercolor Society Juried Exhibition: The Alaska Watercolor Society: Anchorage, AK 25th Watercolor Wyoming National Exhibition: SAGE Gallery: Sheridan, WY Fredericksburg Center for Creative Arts: Transitions, Fredericksburg, CA – Second Place Award BAGA’s Fall Art Show, Bismarck, ND 68th Annual All juried National Salmagundi Art Club Galleries, New York City, NY – Atlantic Paper Materials Award received 30th Annual Mountain Art Show, Bernardsville, NJ 26th Annual International Exhibition, University of Texas at Tyler, Tyler, TX |
| 2011 | Ninth Annual 2011 Blanche Ames National Art Exhibition, North Easton, MA BAGA’S Autumn Artistry Fall Art Show, Bismarck, ND Long Beach Arts Scapes Exhibition, Long Beach, CA Long Beach Arts California Open, Long Beach, CA Westmoreland Art Nationals Show, Latrobe, PA 24th Annual Northern National Art Competition, Rhinelander, WI Pittsburgh Watercolor Society Waterworks 2011, Pittsburgh, PA National Society of Artists 27th National Juried Show, Santa Fe, Texas Fredericksburg Center for the Creative Arts Regional Juried Exhibition, Fredericksburg, VA Gallery Sim Aqueous Open 2011, Pittsburgh, PA St. John on the Mountain 31st Annual Mountain Art Show, Bernardsville, NJ UT Tyler Meadows Gallery 26th International Exhibition, Tyler, Texas Fredericksburg Center for the Creative Arts Fine Crafts Exhibition, Fredericksburg, VA |
| 2012 |
Arts in Harmony 2012 International Juried Art Show, Elk River, MN |
| 2013 |
Rio Brazos Art Festival, Granbury, TX |
| 2014 |
GoggleWorks Center for the Arts “Secrets,” Reading, PA |
| 2015 |
Rio Brazos Art Exhibition: Tarleton State University, Granbury, Texas |
| 2016 |
Americas 2016: Paperworks, Minot, ND |
| 2017 |
New Orleans Art Association, 2017 NOAA National Art Show, New Orleans, LA |
| 2018 |
The North Show, 23rd Arts in Harmony 2018 Annual International Show, Hopkins, MN |
| 2019 |
Fredericksburg Center for the Creative Arts, Faces and Figures National Juried Exhibition, Fredericksburg, VA
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Gallery Hours are Pacific Time:
To request a free brochure or catalog, please email us at bro@simplergifts.com or call (619) 226-7393.
The fax number is (619) 226-2988
