Bergen Rose was born in Washington DC, grew up mainly in Southern California, and studied art at
Santa Monica College and briefly UCLA. Bergen has spent time traveling, exploring and painting in
France, Germany, Switzerland, England, Portugal, Norway, and Japan. In 1994, she moved to the
Northwest, where she continues to live and work. 

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 and encaustic. She now works predominantly in oil paint and cold
wax. 

In her paintings, Bergen explores complex elements of the human condition, including love, connection,
disappointment, wonder, isolation and the gray areas in between. She has been painting all her life, and
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...

"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...
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 "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 be at the Gallery at 3pm for a casual talk and walkthrough of her work - stop by to say hello!