hello!

I’m EVE-MARIE BERGREN

Artist in Boise, IdahO

Eve-Marie Bergren is a painter creating and living in Boise, Idaho’s North End since 1997. Bergren believes that “true creativity is the ability to remain fluid.” She earned an M.F.A. from Vermont College of Fine Arts in 2001 and a B.A. from Whitman College in Fine Arts in 1995. Her background in art theory, history and practice has inspired a life of creative thinking.   

Being in “flow” within a structure, Bergren responds to her life circumstances as a painter. By using wax, gouache, charcoal, acrylics, pen and ink, watercolors, acrylic and oils. the media always becomes a part of the message. Intrigued by duality—the concept of allowing opposing energies to exist simultaneously is a strong thread through all of her work. “Push/ pull, up/down, scarcity/abundance, masculine/feminine… all pairs of opposites cannot exist without one another, and we must constantly let go of the definitions to stay in equanimity or an unbounded state of mind,” Bergren says of her work.

“I think the most important question facing humanity is, ‘Is the universe a friendly place?’ This is the first and most basic question all people must answer for themselves. For if we decide that the universe is an unfriendly place, then we will use our technology, our scientific discoveries and our natural resources to achieve safety and power by creating bigger walls to keep out the unfriendliness and bigger weapons to destroy all that which is unfriendly and I believe that we are getting to a place where technology is powerful enough that we may either completely isolate or destroy ourselves as well in this process. If we decide that the universe is neither friendly nor unfriendly and that God is essentially ‘playing dice with the universe’, then we are simply victims to the random toss of the dice and our lives have no real purpose or meaning. But if we decide that the universe is a friendly place, then we will use our technology, our scientific discoveries and our natural resources to create tools and models for understanding that universe. Because power and safety will come through understanding its workings and its motives. God does not play dice with the universe.”– Albert Einstein

ABOUT HER WORK

Eve-Marie’s work is a time capsule of the past 25 years, documenting her life as it happens. Starting out in her art career at 27 as a newlywed, then mother and then divorced single mom, her visual journey explores personal struggle, growth, existential curiosity and spiritual grounding as her daughter grows and the artist matures. This body of work is released as a portfolio and digital catalogue as her daughter graduates high school and moves into her own autonomy. 

Bergren is currently inspired by studies in consciousness: Vedic knowledge, quantum physics, Buddhism, Kirlian photography, the golden mean, minimalism, digital currency, Burning Man, sacred geometry, and the whispers of the natural world. Old ideas, podcasts and books are a part of her daily intake. She lives with questions and a thirst for knowledge and truth.

Outside of art-making, the same curiosity informs her life. The unique intersection of left and right brain processes combines art with business. Whether she is building a business, negotiating real estate contracts, visualizing a space, or working on a non-profit board, everything is a series of creative approaches – a process of both informing the structure to be more in flow and conversely, and how to encourage the creativity to flourish within a system.

Education

MFA in Visual Art, Painting and Critical Theory. Vermont College, Montpelier, Vermont. 2001.

Bachelor of Arts in Fine Art, Painting and Printmaking. Whitman College, Walla Walla, Washington. 1995..

EXHIBITIONS

“Identity and Nature”, Group Exhibition, Sun Valley Center for the Arts, Hailey, ID, September 2008.

“Doll”, Group Exhibition, International Art Gallery, Anchorage, Alaska, July 2008. Curated by Nancy Burnham of Annex Gallery.

“Photoing On Car”, Group Exhibition, J Crist Gallery, Boise, ID. November,2007.

“Contemporary Printmaking”, Group exhibition, J Crist Gallery at Idaho Trust Bank, Boise, ID, October 2007.

“The 13th Rib”, Two-person exhibition with Andrea Sparrow, Eagle Rock Art Museum, Idaho Falls, ID. May- August, 2007.

Idaho State Fellowship Recipients Exhibition, Group Exhibition, Governor’s Awards in the Arts, Egyptian Theatre, Boise, ID, October 2006.

Idaho State Fellowship Recipients Exhibition, Exhibition travels to Boise State, Carr Gallery in Idaho Falls, Pritchard Gallery in Moscow, ID, and North Idaho College in Coeur D’ Alene, ID. Sept. 2005 to May 2006.

Solo Exhibition, Rosenthal Gallery at Albertson College, Caldwell, ID. October, 2005.

“People, Places, Things”, Group Exhibition at R and F Gallery, Kingston, NY December 2005.

Ochi Fine Art, Group Exhibition, Ketchum, ID, Winter, 2004.

Ochi Fine Art, Group Exhibition, Ketchum, ID, Winter 2003.

“Surface, Artifice and Matter: Works by Encaustic Artists”, Group Exhibition,Dutchess Community College, Poughkeepsie, NY, November 2003.

Solo Exhibition, Spokane Art School, Spokane, WA, May 2003.

Group Exhibition, Boise State University Faculty, Boise, ID, February 2002.

“Magnetic Poetry”, Group Exhibition, Boise State University, Boise, ID, April 2002.

Ochi Fine Art, Group Exhibition, Ketchum, ID, Winter 2001.

Idaho Triennial, Exhibition travels to Boise Art Museum, Carr Gallery in Idaho Falls and Prichard Art Gallery in Moscow, May 2001 through February 2002. Juror’s Award.

MFA Group Exhibition, Vermont College, Wood Art Gallery, Montpelier, VT, August 2001.

“Visions”, Group Exhibition, Women’s Caucus for Art, Chase Gallery, Spokane, Washington, June 2001.

“Contain”, Solo Exhibition, Reflections Gallery, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID, January 2001.

“W”, Women’s Caucus for Art, Reflections Gallery, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID, October 2000.

Art [X} Soul, Group Exhibition, Ketchum, ID, Winter, 1999.

Art [X] Soul, Group Exhibition, Ketchum, ID, Winter, 1998.

“Great Garbage Binge”, Boise State University, Boise, ID, September, 1997.

Group Exhibition, Sheehan Gallery, Whitman College, Walla Walla, WA, May, 1995.