Michael Bergt show at the Arnot Art Museum is a beauty. I recommend you go...see the work, the paintings, the drawings,and the sculpture. John O'Hearn and Michael started the exhibit in 1979 with Michael's watercolors through to the current work...showing threads of ideas, techniques and thinking. Michael works in egg tempera--and seeing his sure hand at work up close is quite extrodinary--so tight and so beautifully rendered...almost like looking at engravings. He has recently done a poster for the Santa fe (I think) opera that he strongly reference Islamic manuscripts (and Sienese painting) in it's layout, color, design and construction that is a new direction both John O'Hearn and I are anxious to see go somewhere. Michael is the genuine thing...and someone we should expect to see more and wonderful things in the second half of his career.

You can see more of Michael's work at the John Pence Gallery.

The Arnot restaged a lot of work in the other galleries to make room for Michael's show. The curating of the work is wonderful, inspiring and the juxtaposition of the work has humor and charm. Worth visiting to get a new perspective of portraits, realism and landscapes.

Grey stuff here. Twinkles of red in the trees. Am working on another eagle... we'll see!