Rooted Yet Reaching

Interview with Monica Bergquist

1.      Please tell us something about your background and your art journey so far.

As a child, I declared that I was an artist.  That’s exactly what I wanted to be when I grew up.  In my early 20s, I chose a more practical path, completing my undergraduate degree in fine arts, but switching to science for graduate studies in order to secure a more conventional career.  I tried to bridge the worlds of art and science through nutrition, but the clinical work felt disconnected from who I truly was, and funding in research jobs dwindled.

Eventually, I left nutrition research behind and took a job in a bakery, working under pastry chefs while pregnant with my first child.  After she was born, I stepped into the full-time role of raising children and creating in new ways. Years later, after the passing of my mother and with two of my three children in school, I felt the pull back to art. This time, I didn’t want to return to rules or techniques I had been taught … I craved something new.  I discovered fluid art and began exploring painting in unconventional ways.  Now, I'm in the process of blending those early traditional techniques with my newer, more intuitive approach to expression.

2.  Can you tell us more about the theme in your art and your inspiration?

There’s a constant duality I feel between freedom and responsibility, flow and structure.  I’m a mother, daughter, wife, and friend, and those roles ground me in everyday, but when I create, I feel a release and return to my truest self.  My work often reflects that tension, seeking balance between the organic and the controlled, much like the tightrope I walk in life.  Abstraction into realism, and vice versa.  Making sense of life shows up daily.

As for inspiration, I feel endlessly fortunate to live in Montana. I appreciate how systems self-organize, with one system relying on another for support, with the overlap of ecosystems inevitable.  The vast skies, rugged mountains, winding rivers, and open plains offer a never-ending source of sometimes quiet, but occasionally surprising beauty. Nature provides the most unexpected color palettes and compositions if one pays attention.

3.  Could you share any difficulties and hardships you had to face in life and how or if you managed/overcame them?

The most difficult period of my life came in 2018. I suffered a miscarriage and, shortly after, lost my Mom to cancer.  Witnessing her final days was both heartbreaking and transformative. The grief triggered severe anxiety, and I began the slow process of healing through meditation. Breathing became my anchor.

As I began to feel more grounded, I began to paint again. It was something my Mom always hoped I’d rediscover.  It took over 20 years, but I finally found my way back to the studio, and I’m still coming back to myself.  Now, painting feels like breathing - a necessary part of the day that feels like coming home.

4. Tell us about your best experience in the art world so far. 

After just a couple of years of rediscovering my creativity, I decided to take a leap and start sharing my work. I joined a business coaching program for artists, built a website, developed a portfolio and newsletter, and started showing up on social media.

One of the most affirming moments came when I submitted my portfolio to a gallery in Billings, Montana. The owners responded warmly, and soon after, I was invited to do an interview and curate a solo show featuring my Flow series, which is inspired and features rivers from across Montana. Seeing my art on gallery walls, surrounded by people who support and resonate with it, has truly been a dream come true.

5.  What are you working on at the moment and are there any upcoming events you would like to talk about?

At the moment, I'm away from my studio, so I’ve taken the opportunity to dive deeper into oil painting through a landscape course with Dina Brodsky. It’s been fascinating to study the techniques of the Old Masters and see how their influence might find its way into my work.  Montana’s big skies and clouds never cease to amaze me!

This fall, I’m eager to return to the studio, where I’ll be working larger and more abstract again, but infusing these oil painting techniques in some way. I’m curious to see how this ongoing conversation between fluid expression and classical technique continues to unfold in my art.

6.   What practical advice can you give to fellow artists?

There’s so much pressure on artists today to wear every hat: create, market, ship, own businesses, and more.  Amidst all that noise, an artist needs to come back to the why of creation, and stay rooted in that purpose.

Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters, compared to what lies within us.”  I hold onto that.  Your style, voice, and skills evolve in their own time, through persistence, dedication and practice. So live your own life, keep your head down, stay curious, and keep creating.

Website: https://www.monicabergquistart.com

IG: @mbergquistart