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PJ Bergin's artwork entitled "Quiet City No. 2"

Mind game

Most of the time when I finish an artwork I have a sense of accomplishment. I usually like the way the piece looks and am satisfied with the outcome....

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The Enigma of Venus

Making space for silence

Recently a visitor to the studio asked me how I come up with the compositions I make out of Hanji (handmade mulberry paper from Korea). “After all”, she said, “the work is abstract. You're not looking at something in nature and painting it as a...

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Serendipity No. 8 by PJ Bergin

A serendipitous tradition

Last year around this time I started what I thought would be a one-off group of small artworks titled the “Serendipity Series.” That month-long experiment freed up my mind and opened me to new ways of working with Hanji – techniques I've continued to use...

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Closeup of PJ's hands at work

West meets East

How and why my affinity for Asian culture started I cannot say. As early as high school, I developed a keen interest in the Far East. In college, where I studied clothing design, the philosophy and characteristics of Asian countries – especially Japan and China...

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Influence of a hero while in the studio

It was a special day away from the studio when I traveled along the Arkansas River to the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center at Colorado College to view “Fluid Expressions: The Prints of Helen Frankenthaler.” This was my first introduction to her prints and the...

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Detail of "Poseidon – in the Deep" by PJ Bergin

Reach for the heavens, then take a swim

Readers familiar with my earlier posts know that using titles for artwork doesn't always interest me. I prefer the viewer to look at the abstract work and come up with their own interpretations. Recently, though, I've started naming my artwork and it's become a fun experience...

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Following the headlights

There is a certain energy in the creative process that cannot be explained in words, "Bolt From The Blue" Detaileven by the creator. This is why Instagram is an ideal way for me to communicate the process of what I do in the studio through...

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A feast for the eyes

When describing my artwork, I often use the words texture, sculptural, fusing and color. One word I usually leave out is collage. Yet that's really what all of my Joomchi artwork is: an assemblage of different papers....

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Korean Tapestry

Different approach, similar results

This year is the centenary of the birth of composer Leonard Bernstein. Even if you aren't a fan of classical music (the genre where he built most of his fame), his “West Side Story” composition is a universal favorite. I cut my clothing design teeth...

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Keeping my brain fresh … and having fun

For the past few years I’ve kept August as my “do something different” month. Last year I spent a week with a Master Asian Calligrapher. This year I decided to make several small (12" x 12") artworks in anticipation of the Salida Studio Tour coming...

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