Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Berta Negari. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Berta, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

I know I surprised everyone with my art when I had my first show. But on the contrary Art surprised me when it came to me. And it came to me at a time when I needed it most. And I embraced it wholeheartedly. To me, it is just pure joy when I paint.

So I just kept painting without even remotely thinking about a career in art. I painted for hours in a day continuously and I have created over 3000 works. But I had them all catalogued and stored in my studio which was overflowing with my art works.

At a point when I considered taking it to the mainstream commercial art world, a chance meeting with an Art Curator changed everything.
“Meditative Musings” – was the first solo art show I had which featured over 100 selected original works which were on display. The show was curated by LA based Art Curator Deepa Subramanian. The first show was at a sprawling 3000 sq foot studio space on Wilshire Blvd. The show premiered with over 300 guests and the response was phenomenal. That is when I realized that was the first step to my artistic career and there was no looking back after that.

I live and work out of my studio in Venice Beach. This historical property designed by Paul Williams is also one of my sources of inspiration to paint tirelessly and immerse myself into my world of art.

Berta, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Berta Negari, is best known for her contemporary free flow abstracts creating zen like impressionistic images. Through her works she has manifested infinite dimensions within herself to create her own artistic vocabulary. To say that she is prolific is a mild statement. Berta produces works with an intensity and magnitude that churns out work after work involuntarily. Perhaps this can be best described as an “out of body” sort of an experience which energises her to create work instinctively. Berta’s works are a rare combination of pure abstraction and radical simplicity. However, Berta started painting in the later part of her life.….and with a reason.
Standing at the threshold of life , the call to paint came late but she made up for the lost time by producing a breathtaking number of works in three years. However, the transition to where she is right now did not happen overnight. She painted for hours, days and even months without a break. Her self expression through art was evident from her early works which were a free flow of textual and symbolic imagery of her own inner self.
Her works are a spontaneous overflow of powerful sensibilities recollected in tranquility. She looks within a world of psychological states rather than confronting the fluid world of seeming realism. She explores her mind, spirit and imagination to generate imagery. Thus free from representational convention her effortless process and philosophy make her works ‘timeless’ and “enduring”.
To learn more about Berta, let us dive into her interview.

As mentioned above, my stint in the creative world started much later in life. A series of unfortunate events in my life made me stop and reflect. People respond and react differently to situations in life. As a cancer survivor with a near death experience, I chose to take the positive route to get my feet back on the ground. Art helped me achieve this and I am ever so grateful.
I am an entrepreneur who has been in the world of business since 1986. I started off as a commercial and business banker and also had a successful stint as an LA based realtor.
Now that I am. a full time visual artist, I still find time to pursue my business alongside my art.

Alright – so here’s a fun one. What do you think about NFTs?

Well the world of NFT’s came and went very quickly as a bubble. But I have been playing with this idea of digitalizing my art at some point in time. Although NFT’s started with a bang and did not quite succeed, I feel digital art is here to stay. Also technology has facilitated artists to look at this new genre of art which has changed the way people perceive art. Moreover, the kind of art that I do is very immersive in its quality and I feel it has a potential to be digitalized. I have created over 3000 works of abstraction and I am now exploring the possibility of digitalizing it with a Digital Art curator and hope to take this project forward. I would love to see my works as an immersive and interactive walk-in experience that can transport one into a world of 3 D artistic medium.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

I would say “Art discovered me” as opposed to me discovering art. When I started painting I felt it raised my spirit and energy around me. As they say “ Art heals and transforms lives”. I want to be able to spread this message to people through my art. I paint with a sort of an energy that takes over me and my canvas and the colors. It is something that even I never understood in its full form. But the natural energy helps me get close to discovering who I am and connects me to my inner self. I am often told that it has a kind of quality that is powerful and helps one see their own self in it.
Abstraction in art is a form of meditation that can have a hypnotic quality that allows both the creator and the viewer to linger in that meditative state for as long as they want. And that is what I hope to bring into the minds of people while they see my art hanging in their living room.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.berta.xyz
• Instagram: bertanegari
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/berta.negari
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/berta-negari-b913597/
• Twitter: @Absract1509278

Image Credits
PIC CREDIT: FAYE