David William Herman, an artist who painted landscapes and abstracts and who supported himself as a bartender at social events where he cultivated a following of friends, died July 4 when his bicycle collided with an automobile on Ensor Street in East Baltimore. He was 58 and lived in the Station North-Greenmount West neighborhood.
He was taken by ambulance to the Johns Hopkins Hospital, where his death was confirmed an hour after the accident.
Born in Baltimore, he was the son of William George Herman, a Hardware Fair manager, and his wife, Priscilla Engle Herman. He attended Leith Walk Elementary, St. Matthew’s School and Ridgely Junior High, and graduated from Towson High School. He also studied at what is now Towson University and earned a degree from the Maryland Institute College of Art.
Mr. Herman lived in Cork Factory, a Guilford Avenue cooperative studio building, and was well known in the Station North arts community.
A neighbor, Lou Linden, said: “Dave was a productive artist and primarily a painter whose recent landscapes were really quite good. People said he was coming into his own. He was becoming an overnight sensation after 25 years of work.”
Another neighbor, Robert Levine, said: “Dave was a free spirit. He was a social guy and seemed to know everyone. He was an excellent artist and often talked of selling his unit one day and living on a beach.”
Mr. Herman, who took commissions for his art, also was in demand as a bartender for caterers.
“As a bartender, he liked to talk. He was magnanimous and always open to chatting with his patrons at the parties he worked,” said Liz Lord, a co-worker. “He was a joy to be around. He was carefree and laid-back.”
She also said: “Dave had a lot of chosen family and was widely networked in the music and arts community. He cared greatly for his Greenmount West and Station North neighborhoods. And yet he always wanted to leave Baltimore behind and pursue a simple life in the [Florida] Keys or the Caribbean.”
Ms. Lord said he worked parties in Bolton Hill and Roland Park and for events associated with private schools, including Bryn Mawr, Gilman, McDonogh and the St. Paul’s Schools.
“He worked with us for 15 years,” said Carey Talucci, owner of Talucci Fine Foods. “He was the best employee. He was low-maintenance. He always showed up. He was the last to leave a party because he was discussing things with our guests. They all loved him. He never got stressed in the party battle. If things got tense, he’d turn to yoga and we’d find him standing on his head on the lawn.”
“His paintings were stunning and beautiful,” Ms. Talucci said. “And he loved to surf.”
Kevin Simmons, a fellow bartender and friend, said: “Dave was a gentle soul who had a way of touching people. He found a commonality with them.”
A memorial will be held from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Aug 10 at Area 405 at 405 E. Oliver St.
Survivors include his father and stepmother, William George and Gail Herman, of Selbyville, Delaware; his brother, Christopher Herman, of Corning, New York; and a half-sister, Stacey Herman, of Baltimore.
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