Abstract World

Painters just got to paint in Andy Berg’s world, and that’s how the Golden-based artist humbly goes about the business of making art. Materials — tubes of pigment, empty canvases and panels, well-worn brushes and even cans of house paint — all represent pure opportunities for Berg to plumb and...

By Susan Froyd

June 12, 2014

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Painters just got to paint in Andy Berg’s world, and that’s how the Golden-based artist humbly goes about the business of making art. Materials — tubes of pigment, empty canvases and panels, well-worn brushes and even cans of house paint — all represent pure opportunities for Berg to plumb and channel his creative impulses into free yet well-organized abstracts that are more than a little pleasant to look at.

When recently asked the question, “A mystery patron offers you unlimited funds for life. What will you do with it?” for Westword’s 100 Colorado Creatives blog series, Berg simply replied: “I realized around 44 years of age that my painting was supported, maybe not by the status quo, but by the bigger picture. So I did indeed receive the realization that I had been given unlimited funds for life, on the condition that I paint. So I paint.” Given the capitalistic tenor of the times in the modern art world, where some works of art are sold for millions, Berg’s attitude seems especially refreshing.

Berg will re-emerge on the scene with an exhibit at a venue that’s new for him: the Metropolitan Frame Company, at 424 Broadway. The showcase of new works opens with a reception from 6 to 9 p.m. tonight and runs through June 21; for more information, go to metropolitanframe.com or andyberg.net.
Thu., May 22, 6-9 p.m.; Mondays-Saturdays. Starts: May 22. Continues through June 21, 2014

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Susan Froyd started writing for Westword as the "Thrills" editor in 1992 and never quite left the fold. These days she still freelances for the paper in addition to walking her dogs, enjoying cheap ethnic food and reading voraciously. Sometimes she writes poetry.

Contact: Susan Froyd

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