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[The above image is “Lake with Poppy & Wheat Fields” by Billy Hertz.]

Billy Hertz (galeriehertz.com) is a beloved character around these parts. One of the grand ol’ masters of local art, he said he “can still paint, still vote, and still annoy people!”

What type of artist are you?

I’m a painter, and a damn good one!

When did you start making art?

I’ve been making art for as long as I can remember. I knew I wanted to be an artist in the second grade after seeing my work in an art show at the Norton Art Museum [in West Palm Beach, Florida]. After seeing my piece on the wall alongside the rest of the second grade class, I knew it was someplace special. I can even remember drawings I did in kindergarten after looking at a fellow student’s work — Jamie Reicher. I admired the way she drew heads.

“The Red Divide” by

You are also the co-owner and director of Galerie Hertz. How long has the gallery been in existence? 

Galerie Hertz opened September 1991. Prior to that, I was the gallery director of Zephyr Gallery from 1987-1991. The gallery started after two bottles of red wine, after realizing I was burnt out and sick of the meetings. We then went on vacation, and came back to open the gallery.

You recently announced Galerie Hertz is in some trouble. What has happened?

After my brain tumor operation [in 2006], I took some very bad financial advice and followed up with very bad legal advice. The people I took advice from really appealed to my Mt. Everest-sized ego. They said, “You don’t need a lawyer, Billy. We trust you. We’ll handle all the legal work.” We then got into some trouble with the city, the state and the IRS. While the city and state are now resolved, we’re still having trouble with the IRS.

What is your plan to financially stabilized the gallery?

The selling of unfinished works. It’s people taking a chance on the record of my work. Some is not finished, some is even not started, based on what I do now. The deadline [of selling 100 paintings in the next few months] I gave myself to see what happens.

This article appears in July 6, 2016.

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Jo Anne Triplett is the contributing visual arts editor at LEO Weekly. She’s a past member of the Mayor’s Advisory Committee on Public Art, was the content advisor on the Glassworks Building...