Pirjo Berg

I was born in Helsinki in 1964. I studied Regional Planning at the University of Tampere, Finland, before moving to the USA in 1991. In Seattle I decided to concentrate on art, mainly on drawing and painting, but have also studied art philosophy and art history. I have taken classes at Pratt Fine Art Center, the University of Washington Art Department, the University of Washington Extension, the University of Washington Experimental Collage. I have also attended many figure drawing sessions around Seattle. In 1996 I decided to get my formal education in painting, and moved back to Finland to attend the School of Art and Media in Tampere. There I studied painting but also did installations in collaboration with other students. The years at the School meant lots of travelling, not only between Tampere and Seattle, but also to Norway, Estonia, Italy, and Nepal. My current paintings are inspired by the rug weaving traditions of Finland. To make traditional rag rugs women shred used clothing and use the resulting strips as raw material for new rugs. These rag rugs fascinate me with their inherent lines, vivid colors and the abundance of history that is carried over in the original fabrics. In my work, I combine painting and collage to create compositions that are built on repetition. I enjoy exploring the contrasts between the collage and painted surfaces, and how the space becomes the surface and how the surface becomes a space. The ritual of collecting and cutting the variety of materials is an important part of the work process. I transform the shapes of the materials by cutting them into stripes and lines, and then rearrange and organize them on the canvas. I let the layers of collage blend together with the paint. In my compositions the figurative painting has gradually merged with the collage. I had my first solo exhibit in Helsinki, Finland in 2002, and my second in Seattle, Washington in 2003. My work has been exhibited internationally.

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