After reading, “Little Town” by Berta and Elmer Hader, I wanted to know more about them and their art process. “Berta and Elmer Hader: A Lifetime of Art” is a warmly written and beautifully illustrated book that details the lives of these artists.
Born and raised outside of the New York area, Berta and Elmer eventually moved to Grand View and built their fairy tale house on River Road. Gifted artists, as well as being ardent conservationists, the Haders totally enjoyed their home and their surroundings. They often incorporated both animal life from the area and vegetation that grew around their home in their children’s books. They were part of an original group that protested the site of the Tappan Zee Bridge. Through the efforts of this group, the bridge was built with the curve that we now see, but not for much longer. I wonder how they would have reacted to the new bridge?
” A Lifetime of Art” is filled with page after page of the Haders’ art work. From their earliest drawings and paintings, to illustrations from their many children’s books, to their handmade Christmas crafts, this slim volume is a treasury of the life work of Berta and Elmer Hader.