"My father didn't want me to be an artist,” said Woldemar Neufeld. “He wanted me to be an engineer and I wanted to build bridges. But in the 1930s, engineers were peddling apples. So I studied art and naturally my favorite subjects were bridges."

Woldemar Neufeld (1909-2002) was a visionary who captured not only bridges, but every locale his path crossed, from Canada to Cleveland; from New York City to the Litchfield Hills of Connecticut. While known to many as painter of landscapes and cityscapes, mostly of New York, Neufeld is also considered a master of the block print. His prints will be on exhibition at Alternatives’ Heritage Gallery from February 6 through March 27.

Woldemar Neufeld became interested in the block print very early in his career. After leaving Russia, where he lived in a German speaking Mennonite community, for Canada in 1924, Neufeld was exposed to the prints of the German Expressionists. “Well I can tell you that my stepfather was a German and he felt that the German language should be preserved among us, even though we lived in Canada. So he subscribed to German magazines. They had very powerful black and white illustrations. I was so impressed that I began to copy these Expressionists who made these crude illustrations for the stories. And that got me going.”

Working initially in black and white, Neufeld was later exposed to the color of Japanese woodblocks and began experimenting with color in his prints. His technique was honed in New York City eventually producing the prints that the critic Albert Reese called “Captivating quality, technically able and gay in color, they are a delightful record of places and things seen . . . . and liked.”

His nephew, Dennis Rice, executive director of Alternatives, remembers visiting the artist in his studio. “As a child I would watch him carve his linoleum blocks; how each one had to match perfectly to make the individual colors in the print. Now, all these years later, I am so pleased to have my uncle’s work in the gallery here at Alternatives.”

Neufeld recorded his environment wherever he was. His images range from the urban scenes of New York, especially its harbor, to bucolic, rural images of western Connecticut where he finally settled in 1949. There he again set about recording the landscapes he so dearly loved, including a series illustrating all of the bridges crossing the Housatonic River.

Woldemar Neufeld, Block Prints, will open with a reception at Alternatives’ Heritage Gallery, Friday, February 6 from 5:00 to 8:00 PM. In attendance will be the artists’ son, Laurence Neufeld, and his nephew Dennis Rice. The public is invited to the opening. The exhibit will continue through March 27. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM, Weekends and evenings by special appointment. Call (508) 234-6232 for more information.

Alternatives is a non-profit agency serving more than 550 adults with developmental and psychiatric disabilities in 45 programs throughout central Massachusetts.