Bergen Rose

Bergen Rose was born in Washington DC. In the late 1970s, Bergen studied art at Santa Monica College and UCLA. Bergen has spent time exploring and painting in France, Germany, Switzerland, Portugal, Norway, and Japan. In 1994, she moved to the Northwest, where she continues to live and work. 

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Bergen has experimented with a variety of mediums, including studying and exhibiting with master Japanese calligrapher Yoshiyasu Fujii in the art of ink painting and calligraphy. She has worked in fiber art, winning the 2011 “Coup de Coeur” award at the international textile and fiber art expo in Beaujolais, France. She has also worked in acrylic paint and encaustic wax. She now works predominantly in oil paint and cold wax. 

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In her paintings, Bergen explores complex elements of the human condition, including love, connection, disappointment, wonder, isolation and the gray areas in between. Bergen has now been exhibiting her work for more than forty years, including in Los Angeles, New York, Portland, Seattle and France. 

 

Here is what Bergen has to say about her upcoming show...

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"I paint in blues, mostly... Living on an island surrounded by the beauty of nature inspires my work every day, but it is the sky, the sea, the lagoons and lakes with changing shades of blue that motivate me in the studio… Blue has hundreds of meanings in art and science* - blue horizon, ice & water, state of mind, blue eyes, blue moon, blue planet, blue paint... Warm or cool - blue can move along our high and low emotional range... Personally, I find blue soothing and energizing, peaceful and inviting, and as much as I try to pull away from it while painting, blue always welcomes me back, as the ferry always returns me to my island of still waters, still life, still blue...

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Although my island views are ingrained in me and my paintings, the imagery in my work also has to do with a traveler - a figure moving through land and seascape. The self-reflecting figure wanders, or assesses a direction or escape route, avoiding obstacles or heading toward or through windows of opportunity... Art reflecting life..." - Bergen Rose

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"Still Blue" will be up at Fountainhead Gallery from August 3rd through September 3rd with an opening reception on August 5th, 4-6pm. Bergen will come at 3pm for a casual walkthrough of her work which you are more than welcome to join us for!  She is also exhibiting at the international Seattle Art Fair at the end of July - stop by to say hello!

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- July 2023 Review:

 

Still Blue is a show about finding a personal connection with the world. Often centered around a sole figure or "traveler," Bergen Rose sets these characters in vast colorscapes of blues and grays. This vastness hints at a deep reflection of oneself, and a yearning for something undiscovered. Her expressive techniques are evocative and her textures palpable. Bergen Rose has created a collection of work that is both striking in its beauty and its nuanced messages.

 

Giacomo Agostini, Gallerist