2018 Calendars

Paintings by Nora Bergman  

2018 Wall Calendar

8.5" x 11" (17" x 11" when hanging)

Printed on premium glossy card stock and spiral bound.

Every November I choose my favorite paintings from the previous twelve months and put them all in a calendar. It's a fun way to watch my work, and, they make great prints for framing when the year is over. Enjoy in 2018 and beyond!​

Calendars are $20.00 plus shipping.

Order in my DPW gallery.

284. Jingle Balls

'Jingle Balls'

6" x 6"

oil on gessoboard

Ah, I love these simple silver ball ornaments.

I always add a bunch to our tree, they're like so many little mirrors reflecting all the twinkling lights. :) 

Also, my 2018 Calendars are in, and they look great! There's still time to order one in time for Christmas, - you can find all the info in my DPW gallery. Thanks to all of you that have purchased one already. :)

View auction here.

283. Along the Lines

'Along the Lines'

6" x 6"

oil on gessoboard

If you've followed me for a while, you know that every year I make a calendar with some of my favorite paintings from the previous twelve months. I had fewer paintings to choose from this year, so I hustled last week to add a couple more calendar-worthy ones. ;) 

(Maybe I'm a little too hard on myself, lol.)

Anyway, this is a scene from just outside our little town. 

(On Olson Road if you're a local. :) ) 

The late afternoon light down the power line alley was just so beautiful. Enjoy.

View auction here.

Speaking of calendars, they are currently in transit to me! If you're interested in pre-ordering, here's where you can do that. I hope to start shipping them out by next Friday, December 8th. 

(Fingers crossed they get here on time and in good condition. :) )

282. Havin' a Ball

'Havin' a Ball'

6" x 6"

oil on gessoboard

Another attempt in my never-ending Ball jar challenge. :)

View auction here.

281. Call Me Back

'Call Me Back'

6" x 6"

oil on gessoboard

I wanted something 'easy' to paint, so I grabbed my old phone.

You'd think I know by now, - it's just impossible to predict 'easy', lol. 

So, even though it was a challenge, I'm pretty satisfied with how it ended up. :)

View auction here. 

280. Turning a Corner

"Turning a Corner"

6" x 6"

oil on gessoboard

My middle son recognized this scene immediately as, 'on the way to soccer practice'. 

Their season is now over, and although it was great to watch them play, we're happy to have our Saturdays back. (For the moment. :) )

I actually finished this painting a couple days ago, but, heavily shadowed scenes are particularly hard to capture accurately in photos, - especially on gloomy, overcast days. Today, the sky was slightly more cooperative, but the photo is still not quite what I want it to be. Friends viewing my work in real life often say, "Oh, it looks so much better in person!" In this instance, I would definitely agree. :) 

View auction here.

279. A Fair Evening

'A Fair Evening'

6" x 6"

oil on gessoboard

A scene from our county fair. 

It's really making me miss warm evenings and sunny days.

But, now we have the reassuring comfort of thick, low clouds and gentle, steady rain.

Like, literally, an 'atmospheric river' of rain, according to the weatherman. 

Ah, good times in the pnw. ;)

View auction here.

278. Suuka's Spot

'Suuka's Spot'

6" x 6"

oil on gessoboard

A little scene from our Alaska trip last summer.

Suuka in her perch, keeping watch over the Kenai.

View auction here.

277. Seventy-six and Sunny

'Seventy-six and Sunny'

6" x 6"

oil on gessoboard

Sometimes you stop for fuel and the sun and a '76 sign make your day. 

We are still enjoying sunny days like this; take your time, Summer, take your time. :)

View auction here.

276. Pink Slips

'Pink Slips'

6" x 6"

oil on gessoboard

Midsummer sunset in Minnesota :)

View auction here.

275. Pasture Picnic

'Pasture Picnic'

6" x 6"

oil on gessoboard

Hi! I hope you're all enjoying your summer! 

I've taken a little painting break, and now I'm very happy to be back at it. :)

We recently returned from a wonderful road trip to Minnesota, and this little farm scene is not far from my parents' home. I like how it turned out in the end, but, I'm not gonna lie, - painting is hard, folks, painting is hard. Whew! (And fun, and addictive, and rewarding...)

Click here to view auction.

274. Keeps Toast Warm

'Keeps Toast Warm'

6" x 6"

oil on gessoboard

I added this sweet little Sunbeam T-9 to my vintage toaster collection last week. 

(That brings my collection to two. ;) ) She just makes me smile. 

And, she keeps the toast down after toasting if you want her to. 

What a good little Sunbeam.

Click here to view auction.

273. Summer Highlights

'Summer Highlights'

6" x 6"

oil on gessobord

We've seen so little of the sun this winter/spring, I've resorted to painting pictures full of it. 

It's not the viewing of it that I miss so much (kinda hurts my eyes, lol), but the feeling of it.

See that tiny patch of yard peeking through beneath/between the trees? If only I could be right there, sprawled out on a sun-warmed cotton quilt with a pillow and a good book. Ahhh. 

Oh, and also, I'd be sixteen again, lol.

I am very happy with how this scene turned out, - it was so challenging! I painted from a photo I took a few Augusts ago in the Yakima Valley of Washington state. My favorite part is the light reflecting up to the wall from the lower roof of the red building on the far right. 

So much warmth and light bouncing around, - oh, summer, please hurry!

Click to view auction.

272. Tulips!

'Tulips!'

6" x 6"

oil on gessoboard

Is the 'longest winter ever' finally over?? Please, let it be so! :)

We enjoyed a stunningly beautiful day today, blue skies and over seventy degrees! 

It was so lovely. 

I started this little tulip painting last week and had hoped to finish it on Monday, but I was waylaid by a bout of vertigo. I've never experienced it before, and hope to never again! 

My heart goes out to those who deal with it chronically, - so not fun.

 I finally felt up to attempting a paintbrush today, - it was so satisfying to be back in my corner, and I think being slightly dizzy forced me to paint a little faster and looser. :)

I hope you enjoy the result. :)

View auction here.

Bloom Art Show

'The Tree at Bryant House'

12" x 12"

oil on gessoboard

'Cherry-Picked'

12" x 12"

oil on gessoboard

Both paintings made for 'Bloom', an art show in Clatskanie, Oregon, in March 2017.

Both sold.

Summer at Beaver Falls

'Summer at Beaver Falls'

18" x 24"

oil on gessoboard

Hey guys, I've missed you! 

You'll notice that this is a lot bigger than normal for me, and that's because it's my donation to the fundraising auction at my boys' school. I love being able to contribute to this event!

Beaver Falls is local to us, and sadly, I lived here for eleven years before my first visit! 

I went first after a heavy rain in the spring, - vastly different than this scene! The flow is twice as wide and multiple times the volume, - very intense! I think I prefer this version, from July of last year. Sweet and sun-dappled. :)

(Donated)

271. Made in the Shade

'Made in the Shade'

6" x 6"

oil on gessoboard

Can't get enough of these snowy scenes! 

This one is from our recent bout of wintry weather. It's a rare treat to see our mossy wonderland blanketed in white, and we thoroughly enjoyed it. While heading to 'town' for a few errands, my husband took a little detour so I could photograph an old barn. The barn was pretty enough, but just down the road from it was this stunner of a tree! Love! I've only painted two, but there were actually about eight deer hanging out in her shadow. It was delightful.

Click here to view auction.

270. Sunny Side Up

'Sunny Side Up'

6" x 6"

oil on gessoboard

Just another happy little dose of sun and snow.

I snapped this photo in Spokane, WA on our return trip from Minnesota. 

This little sweetheart made me smile, and she was really fun to paint. 

Click here to view auction.

269. Snow Days

'Snow Days'

6" x 6"

oil on gessoboard

Yay, my first painting of '17! 

My guys and I drove from Oregon to Minnesota for Christmas, and we had a wonderful time hanging out with my parents and other family that live there. 

There was plenty of snow, and so much sunshine, and, well, that's kind of the perfect combo. 

If you follow me on instagram (norabergman), you've seen a bit of my obsession. ;)

It was just so pretty! 

This scene is from one of my photos from the trip. It was not an actual 'snow day', - those are pretty rare there, but back here in Oregon, we are currently on Snow Day No. 4 for this week! It's like Winter Break all over again! My boys are loving it, and so am I. (Mostly. :) )

Click here to view auction.

Leah's Jams

'Leah's Jams'

18" x 18"

oil on gessoboard

Hi guys! I've missed you!

I did a little painting in early December, but it was a gift so I had to keep it a secret.

I'm so happy to finally show it to you! 

A very sweet man commissioned this for his wife, my friend, Leah. He even sent me a jar of her homemade jam for me to paint! It was a really fun project, a little bigger than my norm, and I am extremely happy with how it turned out. 

Leah loves it too, and that's the best part. :)

SOLD

Note: I have just a handful of 2017 calendars left in my DPW store.

Read on to hear me wax philosophical about life and stress... :)

I started out painting only commissions (in the form of custom murals), and it worked very well. I loved the challenge of taking a concept or image and adapting it to the specific style and needs of my client. I didn't have to be the 'idea man', - the ideas have always been the hardest part for me, - I just painted what someone told me to paint. It was fun, difficult and rewarding.

The mural work slowly phased out after I became a wife and mom, and then life was about diapers and just trying to get enough sleep. :) In the midst of that chaos, I always found something to create, because, well, that's as important as breathing to me. Curtains, ornaments, purses... there's always something to make!

Then, a few years ago, I took the plunge into a whole new era in my painting journey... learning oils, painting small, and, most exciting to me, stumbling upon the ideas and skills that give me joy, that come from within me. After decades of dabbling in all things artsy, I am finally finding my artistic voice. It has been so hard, so good, and so extremely fulfilling. 

In this new era, I've been asked several times to do commission work. I've done a little here and there, I've said yes and then had to recant when I started to lose sleep, and most recently, I've just said no to it all. It's not that I didn't want to, honestly, it was just way too stressful. I'm a people-pleaser and I'm a wee bit high-strung, with some severe and random anxiety thrown in. (I try desperately to hide all that, - who wants to hang out with a nervous breakdown? Lol.) Anyway, when art becomes another 'job' in addition to my familial responsibilities, well, I can feel the ulcers forming ranks, and then I have a meltdown. I just couldn't get it to fit into my life with all the other things.

So, that's a big part of why this commission is so exciting to me. I don't really remember when I agreed to it, at some point it just started to sound more fun than stressful. I knew the subject matter, I had good source materials and all of a sudden I was painting for someone else and I never once lost any sleep over it! (It helps that the intended recipient is literally one of the sweetest people on the planet. :) ) All in all, it was a very positive experience and I'm so thankful. It was so fun to paint! 

If you know my work, you know my favorites are when a lovely little scene is tempered by the 'ugly' of life. Telephone poles and wires, highways, cracked sidewalks, garbage cans, - for me they provide literal and emotional 'scale'. A true reflection of life; stress and fulfillment, ugly and beautiful, all jumbled together. :)