Artist Fran Bergstein paints in her Los Alamos home. Courtesy photo

ART News:

Los Alamos artist Fran Bergstein has had a painting accepted by the Rio Grande Art Association’s 12th annual juried painting and sales exhibition. The exhibition features 114 paintings by artists working in a variety of styles and media. 

The exhibit is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 2-23 at the African American Performing Arts Center at EXPO New Mexico, 310 San Pedro, NE in Albuquerque. Admission is free

“Drawing and painting are the constants in my life,” Bergstein said. “As I was thinking about retiring from my job at Mesa Public Library in Los Alamos after 25 years, I also began to think about how much I wanted to get back to painting.  For the past four years, I’ve been painting lots and lots in my studio. For a change and for a chance to get to know other artists of like interests, I joined a plein-air group that meets once a week. Drawn to the subject of landscape and with some basic painting guidelines, I began to paint those landscape features close to home.”

Bergstein holds a a bachelor’s degree in art from Colorado State University. She has taught art classes in Los Alamos schools. Bergstein has participated in painting classes, group and solo exhibits, juried shows, and arts and crafts fairs over the years.

“I never tire of observing and painting the unique features of northern New Mexico,” she said. “I hope my paintings evoke a feeling of familiarity and reflect the beauty I see in the northern New Mexico landscape.”