Mission artist's work spans decades
(by Jason Roessle)  Mission City Record

One of Mission's most popular artists celebrated her 90th birthday and hosted the opening of a show of her works Saturday May 15, 2004.

Irene Berchtenbreiter has been a Mission resident since 1980, was born in Vancouver and previously lived in Los Angeles.

And throughout her entire life, one thing has remained constant:  her love of art.

Irene Berchtenbreiter with one of her many clay pieces of art hanging on the walls of her home.     (Jason Roessle Photo)

While she is reluctant to slot her paintings and sculptures in one particular genre, they are clearly her own style.  The paintings hanging in one of the room of her McConnell Creek home jump off the walls at you with the bold use of bright colours, not to mention the three dimensional aspect she uses in her sculptures.

While she jokes about how old she is, it is not apparent in her motion, manner and speech.  The petite woman lives in the older home on an acreage filled with her friends:  four sheep, a dog, countless, cats, finches and doves.

Her home is filled to the brim with art work; hanging on the walls and different sculptures adorning most free space.  But despite the volume of pieces, the home does not feel cluttered; simply homey.

A large crowd came out for her art show and birthday, held at the Mission Art Centre, Saturday May 15, 2004.  

She estimates about 40 of her pieces spanning her life-long artistic endeavours were present at the show.  And much to her delight, she sold a number of pieces.  Clay is Berchtenbreiter's favourite medium. "I like clay the most, she confirmed.  "You just take the clay and it works."  Many of her clay works in her home hang on the wall and literally seem to each off the wall and pull you in.

Brechtenbreiter's husband Hanns, who passed away in 1957, was a popular architect who is listed in Donald Luxton's Building the West:  The Early Architects of British Columbia.

When he arrived in Vancouver in the mid-1930's, he is credited with being an interior designer for Woodward's Department Store and also designed the Deutchsland Cafe on Seymour Street in 1936.

He met Irene at the Pacific National Exhibition as he booth set up displaying he designs and drawings.  They married in 1939.  Shortly after World War II broke out, they moved to California as Hanns was being looked upon with suspicion because of his German heritage.

The Berchtenbreiters developed a low cost alternative to brick facings, a prefabricated system of this brick veneer, attached to sheets of plywood and mortared, according to Luxton's book.  After the war ended Irene opened a shop in Thousand Oaks, Ventura Country, California where her artwork was sold.  When Hanns died of a heart attack in June, 1957, Irene stayed in California for about 10 years before moving back to British Columbia.

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Extraordinary Mission women honoured for their service

THE TIMES NEWS - Friday October 8, 2004
Jean Konda-White      [email protected]

Six Mission women who have used their lives to help others and shape their community were honoured as Paths and Pathfinders by the Mission Historical Society.  

Irene Berchtenbreiter, Wendy Edelson, Tanye Heath, Marion Robinson, Polly Vishloff and Muriel Windebank were recognized as six remarkable women who, each in their own unique way, have made a difference.

Irene Berchtenbreiter, a creative and intuitive artist whose career has spanned 60 years, has worked with great artists, been a teacher and was an interior designer before retiring in Mission in 1980.  A lover of animals, she surrounds herself with her furry friends and continues to pursue her artwork full time.  Valuing her personal independence, she says, "I don't make plans.  Life just goes on and changes and surprises come."

	(Photo Jean Konda-Witte/TIMES) Six Mission women honoured at a special, gathering acknowledging their contribution to the development of Mission.
From left, Muriel Windebank,  Irene Berchtenbreiter,  Marion Robinson, Tanye Heath,  Polly Vishloff and Wendy Edelson.	Back

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Irene Dolores Berchtenbreiter (1914- )
written by Jason Roessle (MISSION RECORD) October 7, 2004

"Sometimes something beautiful comes,"  Irene Berchtenbreiter thoughtfully acknowledges.  A brilliantly creative and intuitive artist, she adventurously delves into her vivid imagination for inspiration, often unsure of the subject, style, colour or shape of a piece until it is completely finished.

Over her 60-year career, Berchtenbreiter has worked with such prominent artists as John Mason and Jumbo Auciello and explored various mediums.

Developing her talent privately, as curriculum art classes south to discourage her independent spirit, Berchtenbreiter was finally presented with the opportunity to explore her creativity during the summer of 1932 at a retreat with Jack Shadbolt.  After this "fabulous and fantastic" experience, she enjoyed a brief career as a teacher before marrying Hans Berchtenbreiter, A German architect, in 1939.  The couple settled in a Adobe house in Thousand Oaks, California, where they developed and sold prefabricated bricks to a large clientele and pursued their artistic endeavors.

Moving back to Canada in 1968, 10 years after Hans' death, she continued to explore her creative side, working for the White Spot restaurant chain as their interior designer, exciting her interest in quirky relics that she enigmatically describes as "interesting."

Eventually retiring to Mission in 1980, she surrounds herself with the 
eccentric decor of her  home that is quintessentially "Irene."

Painting of Irene's studio,  house and sheep in the front yard. Artist Taylor Hellman - USA

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Have You Met Irene?
Reprinted from the Potters Guild of British Columbia
Newsletter - July/August 2005
with permission from John Lawrence - DoDa Antiques, Vancouver, BC

Since my last article I had the great pleasure of meeting Irene Berchtenbreiter.  It was of the occasion of her 92nd birthday and Irene was having her annual day-long (and into the evening) event to greet old friends and happily to meet new ones.  I live in the Chinatown of Vancouver, British Columbia and it's an occasion even to cross the river into Richmond, BC.  A drive to the metropolis of Mission, BC and then the journey out country roads through the woods was in itself a treat, but what awaited at the end of this journey has left a memory to cherish!  Irene lives in a handsome house in the middle of the woods with her dogs and her doves and her many, many beautiful pieces of ceramic art.  Each piece has a story and Irene is happy to tell you about her work.  A tile-like set in an unfinished wood box has a door that opens in the center with a figure peeking out.  That's the little old lady down the road who's afraid to come out. 

A beautiful group of six wall plaques represent the stations of the cross and were originally planned for a church in Los Angeles.  It was never installed in the church and Irene brought them here and recently hung them in her living area.


It was a beautiful day even in the rain and about 50 or 60 people came to wish Irene even more happiness in her 93rd year.  She is still making art; we were served food in some bowls she made in the past year, and Irene said I must come out sometime when it's not so busy and have a workshop.  "We'll invite a few potters and make some ceramics."  I told her I'm not a potter myself and she said, "Oh that's good!  And nobody will help you either."

I have a few pieces of Irene's work and recommend it to everyone.  Thank you again Irene for the privilege of being at your birthday.   << Back

Special Thanks to all
who contributed to the making
of Irene's web site.  

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