Keith Linwood Stover - Curator
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"Bringing the Museum to You"
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The Cyber Art Show
By permission of the artist, The Cyber Art Show is pleased to feature the second of two
12-piece Exhibitions of works by American contemporary Impressionist painter Celeste Bergin (born 1950 in St. Petersburg, Florida).
Celeste grew up in the Elgin, Illinois. As a young girl she was attracted to the landscape and expressive faces, filling her notebooks with sketches of the gentle rolling plains of the Midwest and with portraits of the people she knew.
After graduating from high school she attended the Art Institute of Chicago. Unfortunately some unexpected events interrupted her art education. She moved to Florida and worked for 7 years in an un-related field. By 1976 she moved to Portland, Oregon and she went back to college (Mt. Hood) to earn a degree in Graphic Design. She also attended the Pacific Northwest College of Art.
In 1978 she began her 25-year career in Graphic Design and advertising, working for Robert Selby Design, Borders, Perrin, Norrander, Nike and Wieden & Kennedy. In 2004 she began painting full- time and sought the company of like-minded people. She started painting outdoors and directly from life.
Celeste has had workshops with Kenn Backhaus, Robert Gamblin, Eric Jacobsen and Ovanes Berberian. She is strongly influenced by Andy Warhol, Magritte and Wayne Thiebaud. Her work incorporates an appreciation for the beauty of nature and her preference for bold expression. She has exhibited her paintings in Galleries and non-profit arts organizations. Her work is included in private collections throughout the United States.