Duet: Paintings by Jennifer Li and Nicholas Oberling

Gallery
Bergelli is pleased to present “Duet” an exhibition of paintings by
Montana-based husband and wife artists Jennifer Li and Nicholas Oberling. The
exhibition opens October 5 and continues through November 7, 2013.  Bergelli will host an Opening Reception on
October 12th from 4-6pm which will highlight an Artists Talk at 5pm.

Oberling
and Li have achieved national recognition and are well-respected and prominent
participants in the art scene of their resident state of Montana.  Li grew up on the West Coast and Oberling on
the East Coast.  They met while studying
at the Art Students League in New York City. They settled in Kalispell in
Montana’s scenic Flathead Valley, in 1998.  

While studying in New York,
their love of Flemish and Dutch golden age painters inspired their artistic
development.  There, they refined their
highly skillful oil painting techniques. 
From metal etchings, they created oil inspirations that reflected their
love of nature and the whimsical.  While
the artist’s both display an unparalleled skill sharing similar techniques,
their work depicts no similarity in theme.

Ms. Li’s
figurative paintings are contemporary genre portraits that are intellectually
and psychologically compelling. Her subject matter is often of classical
figures – human and animal - in scenes that are enlivened by her subtle twist
on humor. Each work allows us an opportunity to contemplate an unexpected
situation. Li states that “I love the idea of painting everyday things in a
loving way.  I love the idea of exalting
ordinary objects.”  Her work has been noted for its color luminosity,
imaginative and evocative content and high quality of technique.  The New
York Times described Jennifer’s portraits as “straightforwardly beautiful”
with “an element of the weird.”

Observing Nicholas Oberlings’ works, there is no doubt that nature
rules. The paintings are conceived entirely in his mind’s
eye. The feeling of life, depth and movement come from a combination of the
mind working together with the heart, in a very free and spontaneous way.
Oberling describes his approach to painting as “I paint from nature, but in an attempt to create a mood, I edit
and re-arrange elements of the scene. I'm after something more timeless. After
all, the physical paintings will last for hundreds of years, whereas the scenes
I paint will change one way or another in a fraction of that time.”  Oberling’s paintings reflect a keen observation,
bursting forth with wildlife and landscape scenes delivered with a superior
level of artistry. Many years of experiencing and inhaling the wonder of
nature, often painted in the plein air style, is transported to the canvas in
the studied techniques and philosophy, reminiscent of the great painters of the
past, including Caspar
David Friedrich and Frederic
Edwin Church. 

Nicholas Oberling was born in Athens, Greece and grew up on Long Island.
His work has been exhibited at the Paris Gibson Square Museum, the Holter
Museum of Art, the C. M. Russell Museum, and the Hockaday Museum of Art. His
painting Wild Goose Island is in the
permanent collection of the Hockaday Museum of Art. He is a founding member of
the Montana Painters Alliance. He has been Artist in Residence at Glacier
National Park and the Helena National Forest.

Jennifer Li grew up in Mill Valley,
California and spent many summers at a ranch in Montana.  Her work has been featured at the Holter
Museum in Helena, Montana, the John Pence Gallery in San Francisco, the Union
League Club in New York, and the Hockaday Museum of Art in Kalispell, Montana.

A California Montana connection exists in this exhibition, as the
owner of Gallery Bergelli is herself a native Montanan who relocated to San
Francisco in 1992 and later to Marin. 
She visits Montana often and shares a deep affection for her home state
with the artists.