Connie Herberg Fine Art
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Blog and News

Gone Fishing

8/5/2015

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In an attempt to excuse, justify or catch up a bit, I will venture an explanation as to my tardy blog posting.

Fun and relaxation ... often the last on our list of to-do's.  I was raised in a farming family and work always took precedence, but when the work was done we managed to find time for fun.  On the high line in North Dakota, the summers are short ( and fraught with mosquitos)  and the winters are long, so you have to adapt your "fun time" to the demands of weather.  We did alright!

Summers were spent carving out as much time as possible at Brush Lake ( just over the MT/ND line near Dagmar, MT) (an alkali lake - so no fish), swimming, boating, water skiing.  Winters found us ice skating, snowmobiling,  sledding, ice fishing and just generally out in the snow.  But, fishing reigned supreme as a whole family pursuit. Mid-summer, after the hay was up and before harvest started, we (the folks and four kids) would pack the camper (small over-the-cab pickup camper) and boat to drive as far north into Canada as was feasible to get some good fishing and home again in ten days (generally the duration of time anyone could stand living with my three younger brothers in a small camper).

So, it stands to reason (well it could have gone either way considering my brothers - but that is fodder for future blogs) that in my adult years I would gravitate toward wild spaces that have great fishing opportunity.  Though I grew up fishing on big Canadian lakes, I have taken quite a shine to fly fishing as any good Montana fisherwoman should.  

So, back to my blog absence ... I will admit to fishing, painting, reading, photographing and wandering on the weekends for the last month, perhaps to the neglect of my blog and some housework.  But, here it is with no regrets and I hope you enjoy the slideshow  of my time high in the Beartooths as much as I enjoyed my R&R.  Surrounded by beauty  we saw wolves, owls, beaver, deer. mice, black bear, beautiful wild flowers, breathtaking scenery, bison, wild trout (yum), and grizzly tracks near our campsite.   It was time well spent in this place that I love.

Though I've been remiss on the blogs, I feel the rest from the fray is a priceless commodity.  After all, as a creative spirit I must fill the well with new thoughts and possibilities.  And, I think I have some great material for paintings yet to come.

So, enjoy the pictures, live vicariously in this moment, but take some time for yourself and go play!

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The Workshop Experience : A Week With Aaron Schuerr

7/15/2015

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We are students for life, no matter what our vocation.  To hone our skills many professions require regular continued education and even without a mandate a conscientious professional will seek out opportunities  as a matter of growth.  For artists that continued education often takes the form of  workshops where we select from a field of other professional artists whose technique we admire and/or who are renowned instructors.

I had just such an opportunity in June of this year to study with Aaron Schuerr in the Paradise Valley of Montana.  He promised plenty of personal time, demonstrations, great scenery and a supper meal that he would cook.  Boy did he deliver.  For five days we met in the morning, at one of the spots he had picked, and painted, broke for lunch, and painted, broke for a couple hours in the afternoon, and painted into the evening.  I was absolutely thrilled with our instruction and the intensive week of painting.
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The twelve students were a great bunch of artists and, I think, equally appreciative of Aaron's teaching.  Aaron put the miles on getting around to each of us as we were spread out in different locations over a few acres!  He really should have been wearing a pedometer.  Demonstrations were held daily (and sometimes twice daily) in both oil and pastel. On the last evening, Aaron and his family served a wonderful supper for all of the participants - delicious spaghetti with venison meatballs and homemade marinara.  He will host this workshop again at the end of June 2016 and I would highly recommend attending.  

Aaron is a talented, hard working, and dedicated artist with a warm personality and a heart of gold.  Check out his work and get the workshop schedule here www.aaronschuerr.com .

Now go paint.
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Gallery Hopping In Dallas, TX

6/23/2015

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Artwork at the Omni Dallas
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Crow Collection of Asian Art
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I recently enjoyed an exhilarating week of gallery hopping in Dallas, TX.  I was able to accompany my husband on a business trip where I had the good fortune to visit the Denver Museum of Art, the Crow-Randall Museum of Asian Art, the Kimball, the Amon Carter, the Nasher Sculpture Center and the Arlington Museum of Art.  Each has its own flavor, but their common ground is the amazing art collections they have amassed.

What I find even more impressive is that these cultural centers were built almost exclusively with private monies and donated to the city by their philanthropists.  The love of art and the foresight of these supporters to bring that passion to the city of Dallas and preserve it for future generations is a gift of momentous proportions.

What I take away from my visit, in addition to briefly satisfying my appetite for viewing great art, is a want for my beloved Montana to bring the same to the table.  I believe there is an invaluable benefit to an involvement in the arts, whatever form that may take, and it is our job as artists to help that along.

  “In my own philanthropy and business endeavors, I have seen the critical role that the arts play in stimulating creativity and in developing vital communities….the arts have a crucial impact on our economy and are an important catalyst for learning, discovery, and achievement in our country.”  –Paul G. Allen, Co-Founder, Microsoft

Now get out there and enjoy the arts.

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An Artist Painting Walls: A Grand Production

5/13/2015

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Q: How does an artist paint the walls in her house?

A: With a lot of angst. 

A house painter will calculate the amount of paint needed to paint a room and buy the right amount necessary to get the job done. Get in get out, get on with life! 

A fine artist on the other hand, will paint, assess the color, repaint because the color isn’t quite right, assess, maybe do some of their own color mixing, find another value of the same color, paint swatches all over everything, assess … repeat


It is an agonizing process, because the result is never a simple single wall color, but a series of creative diversions on the walls. 


But it really is about loving my home environment, surrounding myself with creative interest and comfort. 

Besides, it doesn’t matter what my canvas is, I will always approach it with my own style.



It's a work of art still in progress.  I'll show you the final version when I get there.

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I am deciding on the new color for kitchen cabinets. AAAAAGH!
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I tried to repeat some of the turquoise blue from the dining room wall in the kitchen. It didn't work, so went to plan B, a nice taupe.
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It couldn't be just a blue wall, but I decided to create an aged verdi gris. I love it!
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In the middle of that painting project, I had to re-cover the kitchen stools. These are Cosco stools from the 50's.
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This was the last creative permutation, which will be repainted after the new kitchen wall color.
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Born to be wild and creative!

4/16/2015

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I don’t remember having an excess of toys as a child. There was one favored baby doll, a set of play dishware, a red suede cowgirl outfit complete with six shooters and a cowboy hat, a red wagon and a Nancy Nurse Doll. But, one of my favorite toys was a gun that a cousin whittled from an old orange crate. It was special because he made it for me and because I could then join the “Outlaw Gang” of cousins with their guns and stick horses.

I played endless hours outside, collecting pretty rocks, exploring the outdoors and making things from what was on hand. My imagination took me on travels and created castles from sticks and string. When weather dictated indoor activities, I brought out the crayons and paper or played dress up with a trunk full of my mother’s discarded clothes.
 
School opened new artistic possibilities with glue and scissors added to my tool box. Now we decorated shoe boxes into elaborate Valentine receptacles, made posters for Memorial Day, and decorated our classroom for Christmas. My imagination was in high gear. I loved art and all it could be. Art and I were in it for the long haul.



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  • Welcome
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  • Paintings
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  • Workshops and Classes
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