Connie Herberg Fine Art
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Blog and News

Ned Mueller Workshop 2018

7/2/2018

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​“The mountains are calling and I must go …”, and go I did, into the Beartooth Mountains here in Montana for a plein aire workshop with Ned Mueller. 
 
Ned is a master artist with years of experience to his credit.  If you aren’t familiar with him or his work, I encourage you to explore his webpage. www.nedmueller.com
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            “Born in Wisconsin and raised in Montana, Ned Mueller has been drawing and painting all of his life. He graduated from the prestigious Art Center School of Design in Los Angeles where he also taught drawing while still a student. His love for life and art is reflected in his superb paintings of a wide range of subjects including Portraits, Figures, Animals and Landscapes, both studio and plein air.

Ned worked as an illustrator for 25 years while building a solid foundation of professionalism and has worked as a successful full time artist since 1984. He continued to enhance his knowledge and skills by taking workshops with master artists Harley Brown, Richard Schmid, Bettina Steinke, Del Gish, and Sergei Bongart. 

He has written several articles on painting for the Artists Magazine, is called upon to jury shows, and is a popular and enthusiastic workshop teacher around the country and abroad.”

 
After a rain soaked spring here in Montana, we were granted a reprieve in the weather and enjoyed fair weather for most of the weeklong workshop.  Along with 12 other participants, I trekked from high mountain lakes and snowfields at 11000ft to meadows of wildflowers at 8000ft and everything in between. 

Each day began with a demo lesson by Ned and painting our chosen scenes for the rest of the day.  Ned led us in critique for a couple of evenings, after which we retired to our lodging, exhausted but excited for another day.  Two evenings in the week we gathered as a group  in Cooke City to spend some social time swapping stories over a meal.  
 
We caravanned to Cody, WY on the last day to visit the Buffalo Bill Museum and lunch at the Irma.  There were only 2 of us who live in the area and have visited the museum many times in the past, so it was a new and exciting experience for the others.  The artwork displays at the museum are always captivating and I never tire of the atmosphere of the whole experience.
 
Even though all of this beauty and bounty of wildness is my backyard, I am always grateful that somehow, by birth, I landed where I did and have been able to live in a place I love.  I will never take that for granted. 
 
I am filled with inspiration.  And now I must paint.

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Breakfast and a Great Day at Windy Flats Gallery

6/5/2018

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​June 2, 2018
 
Breakfast and a Great Day at Windy Flats Gallery
By Connie Herberg
 
Last Saturday was a spectacular day for a drive, so we (hubby, dog and myself) hit the road for breakfast at the Owl Café in Laurel, MT, then on to Nye for an art opening at the Windy Flats Gallery. 
 
If you’ve never experienced Saturday breakfast at the Owl, you really must put it on your list.  You not only get an outstanding meal, but musical entertainment to boot.  Any one of several local groups will show on a given Saturday, at about 9am, to serenade the breakfast patrons.  It’s homegrown fun that allows you to slow the pace a bit. 
 
All of the three waitresses on this particular morning were young, perhaps 18 – 20 years old. They were increasingly busy as the hungry patrons started coming through the door, ready to eat and enjoy the music.  Sitting alone, at the table next to us, was a gentleman who quite clearly had some physical limitations possibly from a stroke.  One of the young waitresses greeted him and patiently made sure she understood his order before posting it for the cooks.
 
As his order was ready, she brought it to the table and took the time to cut his food into manageable pieces, pour his coffee into a tumbler with a straw, and arrange the utensils for easy access.  She came back to the table several times to check on him and made sure all was well. 
 
I feel privileged anymore to witness such acts of kindness.  It seems that kindness and courtesy often is shoved aside in the hurried pace of our lives.  However, small town Montana has not forgotten.  I grew up in a place (small town ND) where kind actions are not only commonplace, but, expected of young and old alike.  I’m happy to see that such caring still exists.
 
After breakfast, we travelled on to Nye for a gallery opening at the Windy Flats Gallery.  Good food, good company, inspiring art, gorgeous scenery and perfect weather.  Our spirits were lifted.
 
Today, I challenge you to go out with an intention to find acts of kindness and then commit one yourself.  It does the soul good.

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The Art of Seeing and Painting Color

5/8/2016

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We've just completed our weekend workshop on "The Art of Seeing and Painting Color".  The workshop was sponsored by the Billings Arts Association (BAA) and held here in Billings, MT.  All 10 participants worked hard and hopefully went home with a good feeling of accomplishment.  

We used new tools and old tools in new ways.  Spot screens and value cards, they found to be essential to color discovery.  It's not an easy thing, to change methods and thinking in determining and painting correct color.

Here are just some highlights about the workshop and a few snapshots of the attendees hard at work.


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The setups were simple and designed to get the artist to think about how the environment influences the color of the object and how the object influences the color of the environment.  Ten different set ups were positioned around the room. One for each artist. But they couldn't get too comfortable in one spot, as we moved them to new stations to change things up and make them think.

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Based on a book written by Arthur Stern, "How to See Color and Paint It", the setups and lighting were specific for each station to solve a series of color challenges.  

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Stern states that ""The mind stands in the way of the eye".  He means that we proceed to paint on previous assumptions or prejudices and don't trust our eye in assessing color..

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We found out that an orange is not necessarily orange and that the subtle color shift of value and temperature are what defines the shape and an objects position in the environment.

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It looked deceivingly easy, but that wasn't the case.  This way of seeing took careful thought and decision making.

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It wasn't all serious and intense, there was a lot of fun and camaraderie, banana bread, chocolate and pizza. 

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I hope all went home armed with new knowledge,and a deeper understanding of this thing called art.  There is always more to learn.

"The mind stands in the way of the eye.  That's why most beginning painters don't paint what the eye sees, but what the mind lets the eye see.  They paint what they expect to see."  Arthur Stern
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Paying it Forward

2/27/2016

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Art is meant to be shared, and as an artist, I feel it is important to  support my community and various charitable causes as I can.  It is my way of paying it forward and being a good steward of my talents.   I often hear complaints from artists about the endless stream of requests for work to be donated  for fundraisers.  While we can't contribute to every request, we can certainly make choices for venues we care to support. 

One such opportunity that I will be supporting is  the Christian Benefit Auction coming up on Sunday, April 24, 2016.  This event will be held at the Billings Depot, 2310 Montana Avenue, Billings, MT from 4-7pm.  If you attend you will find my artwork, quilts, gift packages, trips and lots more to bid on, along with food and great company.  The money raised goes to scholarships for campers and operations for the camp.  Though this camp is supported by the Lutheran churches in the region, it is open for anyone who wishes to attend and kids from all over the country come here.   All four of my kids attended from their 5th grade year to high school graduation and loved it.  Many campers come back as counselors after they have graduated. 

Christikon is a  Bible Camp located in the Rocky Mountains just north of Yellowstone National Park, near the heart of the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness Area, in some of the loveliest country in the world, about 47 miles southwest of Big Timber, Montana.
LCGS houses the offices for Christikon, a Lutheran Bible Camp for youth and family. Christikon staff may be contacted at 406-932-6300 in summer, or 406-656-1969 during the off-season. More information is available at their website Christikon.org

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The Art of Lefse

12/1/2015

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It may resemble a tortilla, but while  lefse, a traditional Scandinavian flat bread, is round and fried on a hot griddle, that's where the similarity ends.  While it is a simple food with few ingredients, the art of making lefse, good lefse, is a practiced technique.  Generally the recipe and  instructional practice is handed down, generation to generation, as families gather to prepare food for holidays.

 I learned from my Mother, Grandmother,  Great Aunt, and Great Grandmother at a time when families lived close and celebrated holidays together. Now, our families are often scattered to the wind and don't  have the luxury of spending the days of  preparation time before a holiday celebration.  A couple of days during the holidays is often all that is afforded.  

I want the traditions that I grew up with to be passed along to my Grandchildren.  Since we are three thousand miles apart, I am resorting to technology to bridge the gap and keep  the traditions alive.  See the video here and the recipe below.
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Here is a good and simple recipe for LEFSE and a video to share for making this wonderful tradition.

Lefse
2 2/3 cup water
4 T butter
3 T sugar
1 tsp salt
 Put these ingredients together in a microwaveable container on high, for 2 minutes or more as needed to melt butter.
Mix the hot water mixture in a large bowl with:
 6.4 oz pkg of instant mashed potatoes
1 cup evaporated milk
Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight.

Mix 3 cups of the mashed potatoes with
1 cup flour
Mix well to form a sticky dough
Form into a ball about 2 1/2 inches round, roll out on a well founder pastry board, fry on hot griddle (about 460*)
Lay on clean cloth to cool
This recipe makes about 1 dozen rounds
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    Creativity has been my life and I would like to share some of my thoughts, learning and fun facts with you.

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  • Welcome
  • About
  • Paintings
    • Available Work
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  • Drawings
  • Gallery Representation
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  • Shows and Exhibition Schedule
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