Howard Behrens (Born 1933) was born in Chicago. He inherited creative talents from both of his parents. His father worked as a printer who was meticulous with his work and his mother was an artistic soul who loved design. His first introduction to the world of art began when he was in the third grade and he received a watercolor set. They didn’t have much money, so to him, the set was like a toy. He didn’t know any better, so he just kept playing with it. Finally, he just found himself in love with the set. His love of art continued through grade school and high school when his family moved to Tacoma Park, Maryland. Behrens quickly became known as “the class artist” as he created work for the school newspaper and yearbook. His love of art was cemented following a sledding accident during his senior year of high school. He was in the hospital for months, and spent most of the time painting.
After graduation from high school, he took a job as a government clerk and continued his studies at the University of Maryland as an undergraduate. Behrens was accepted at Johns Hopkins University into the medical illustration program, but he chose to opt out to pursue a graduate degree in illustration and painting instead. He is considered the best colorist among a large group of post-Impressionist painters in the US today. Although many people try to imitate his work, they always come up second best. Behrens passed away on April 14, 2014 after his long battle with Parkinson's Disease, leaving behind a rich legacy. Currently, framed Howard Behrens art are highly priced by many collectors worldwide.