1927 - 1995

Roots run deep in the rich soil here in Lancaster, where tradition is cultivated like corn or barley. Crops and culture intertwine in the meticulous patterns perfected again and again by both the plow and the quilting needle. While Warren Rohrer, a native son of Lancaster and of the Pennsylvania Dutch, never became the minister his parents planned him to be, he never strayed far from the field or the farm. Over and over he explored the patterns and roots of his upbringing in the patient marks and carefully layered colors of his paintings. His work, though modern and abstract, often matches the geometric precision and calculated craftsmanship of the traditional Amish quilts he and his wife began to collect in the 1970s. Over time, Rohrer’s art evolved with the changing landscapes and the different lands he traveled. After a lifetime of teaching new generations of budding painters at Philadelphia’s University of the Arts and reading and interpreting the landscape in his own work, Rohrer passed away in 1995.