 Connie Bieber paints and lives in a square yellow house on a busy city road. But behind the house it seems like the country, with two weathered red barns a garden, and a pasture where her flock of sheep rests. "Sometimes I happen on stunning moments of quiet beauty as I care for my sheep. It might be in the way the sheep are standing or in the way the light hits the wool." The pastoral life provides Connie moments of relief and inspiration in her full schedule. Working in watercolor, Bieber uses the world in her eye as an entry into the surreal. The surprises occur in the placement of images. 'Dance of the Seasons' portrays a stand of trees, each in a different season. Snow on a bare branch laps over a limb in full green leaf. In 'Fearless Flying' a small female figure flies in space, holding on to the tendril of a giant fuchsia flower. The juxtaposition of images creates layers of meaning. "I like to layer my colors, too," Connie says as she discusses the deep intensity of hues. An oval female face with blue eyes framed by pale strawberry blond hair describes both the artist and the female figure in her work. This person looks back at you in 'The Paradise of a Garden' and is draped as a classic statue in 'Reliquary Realignment'. The sun slants through the uncurtained window onto Connie's drafting table. Flute music soothes the air. She can look up and gaze out at the barns and pasture. The table is scattered with books, calendars, and brochures. She pencils images, rearranging the various elements until an idea crystallizes. Satisfied with the composition, Connie begins to paint, meticulously, mixing colors in a six-cup muffin tin. After awhile, she'll put down her brush and go out to the barn, pick a few weeds in the garden, nurturing the muse with everyday chores. - Paddy Blackman Reprinted from: Lifework: Portraits of Iowa Women Artists
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I knew early on in my youth that I
was destined to be an artist. I spent my early days drawing in art classes
and at home. Later in high school and as a painting major in college I realized
the power of the visual image to say on one page what would take chapters in
a book. After a time in the commercial field, I found my paintings were
striking a chord in the hearts of people I was surrounded by. I then made
the decision to paint as a career.
My work comes from my life spent living on my small acreage raising sheep. It is a small herd, just four ewes today and as a friend says, they are "lawn ornaments." Their presence takes me back in time, somehow, seeing them in the pasture stops time and I feel that all is okay. There is a quiet to be found in nature that nurtures my work and my soul. It is a source that I rely on to bring to my work the depth and quiet that collectors speak of when viewing my paintings. Many collectors have shared special sometimes deeply personal stories of how my work has touched their lives or the lives of family and friends. For that I am glad to realize the purpose of my work. I am greatly honored by those who have shared their stories with me. Connie Bieber
My sweet girl "Pearl", queen of the herd and I on a cool fall day. |
