‘The Neighborhood’ - VIVA Gallery features local painters during the month of March!
Carla Crist
Kathy Fairchild
Kathy’s Artist Statement:
Kathy has enjoyed painting with watercolors for many years. However, painting with a group of oil painters every week does have an influence. Her background in photography often leads to more traditional compositions. The appeal of the Driftless landscape and old farm buildings remains primary in her work while portraiture has become a fun pursuit.
Paul Bergquist
Paul’s Artist Statement:
"Finding grace and beauty in the world through a lens of tradition and intuition by equal measure, painting helps me walk the paths that many have already traversed, yet allows creative divergence and exploration of distractions along the way. "
Paul Bergquist has had little formal training outside of a watercolor course in college, but 25 years later was told by a Native American healer, Rebecca Dawnkeeper, that it was time to return to painting, without knowing anything about him. He took her advice and started painting again, studying with Kathy Wheeler and Ken DeWaard, and was captivated with the meditative process of the art, especially in the plein air setting. He has since participated in and won many awards in Plein air Competitions around the country, a welcome change from the life of a physician, his chosen livelihood to that point.
Deb Conlon
Sandra Albers
Sandra’s Artist Statement:
I focus on portrait painting because it’s one of the most intriguing and challenging forms of art for me. There are so many variables beyond technique, the emotion of the model, the energy in the space, and the connection created in the moment. Portraiture, for me, transcends painting. It becomes something deeper, reflective, and even healing. Working mostly in oil, I aim to capture not only likeness but also presence and emotional truth. I love mixing contemporary and classical styles, bringing timeless traditions into a personal and modern approach. Through this process, I continue learning from the model and from the artists and community around me.
Sandra answers some fun questions!
How did you come to focus on your current subject? I developed my focus on portraiture through regular life-painting practice. I paint with artist groups at least twice a week, doing quick sketches and studies during live model sessions in Viroqua and at the Rivoli Arts District in La Crosse. I also paint on a monthly basis at Marianne Rice’s studio space, which has been an important part of my continued learning and growth in portrait work.
Can you articulate what draws you to a particular composition? I’m drawn to compositions where the main point of interest is clearly emphasized. Similar to photography, I often focus on one key feature, an eye, gesture, or object, that becomes the emotional anchor of the painting.
Who or what has strongly influenced your work? One of my strongest influences is Sharon Sprung, my instructor in New York. I admire the way she blends classical portrait traditions with contemporary energy and vibrant color.
If you could have one work of art in your home from a museum or private collection, what would it be? I would choose any of John Singer Sargent’s female portraits. His ability to capture elegance, light, his strokes and personality is unmatched.
From where do you draw your inspiration? I draw inspiration from people, their movement, expressions, and the emotions they carry. I’m always curious about what they might be thinking or feeling beneath the surface.
Is there anything else you would like to share with us about your work? I’m grateful to be part of the Viva show again and to continue sharing my work with this community. Thanks for including me :)
Marianne Rice
Marianne’s Artist Statement:
Marianne Rice (b. 1979) is a fine art oil painter and commissioned portrait artist; born, raised and residing in Southwest Wisconsin. She paints in both indirect and alla prima approaches with a primary focus on the portrait and human figure. Marianne is best known for representational portraits that bring a contemporary feel to the traditional genre and capture both the likeness and essence of the person. She aspires to seize through the permanence of oil paint, the nature of the human spirit and to transcend the ordinary into something profound that narrates our fleeting human existence.
Chris Froeter
Chris’ Artist Statement:
Peril (40 x 40”) Oil on Linen
The painting reflects on emotional distance, learned numbness, and the subtle ways disaster becomes normalized. What might once have demanded attention now exists as atmosphere. The deep shadow reveals how losses are absorbed and flattened into background noise. The painting is not about the moment of loss, but about what comes after. The destruction is no longer the subject, but the scenery.
Chris’ Biography:
Chris’s artistic foundation was shaped through his studies in fine art painting and printmaking at Southern Illinois University. Chris credits much of his artistic vision to the mentorship he received during his academic years. “I’m incredibly grateful to have studied under two instructors who changed how I think about image-making: Herb Fink and James Alexander. Their influence ranged from technical precision to a deeper philosophical understanding of the role of art in the artist’s life."
Chris’s work follows both additive and subtractive methods, typically on linen or printing plates. Through these contrasting approaches, he navigates the delicate balance of moving pigment to reveal light and shado—a process that, in its duality, remains singular and enduring.