Timothy J. Gerberich

May 21, 1957 - February 7, 2005


"If I lift this colt everyday..."

In 1981 my older brother Tim suffered a massive head injury in a car accident. He was with four friends when the driver, fumbling for a cassette tape, hit a bridge railing. The car was impaled, and the railing impaled my brother, who was the only one injured in the crash. He was 22 years old. The injuries to his head were so vast, that neurosurgeons had to remove almost half of his left-brain. They weren't very optimistic about the quality of life.



Tim After Work 1980
Note to Steve, 1999
Dan, Tim & Betty Rose 2002

Tim perpetually inspires my life and art. He was a born creator and became an artist loaded with innovation and charisma. He was earning a master's degree at Cal Arts when the accident occurred. The reproductions of Tim's work before his head injuries illustrate his promising career.


Orange Hares, CA 1981
Green Poodles, IA 1980
Installation, CA 1981


The trauma to his left brain devastated many of the motor activities to his right side, but Tim triumphed, continuing to make art using his left hand.


Farmhouse 1998
Drawing 1993
Bird Drawing 1994
Drawing 1995
Cedar Falls Barn 1992