Statement:
Have you ever been out in nature when you happen upon something unexpected, such as a vibrant field of flowers, a cloud of butterflies, a pod of whales? The natural world can impart a sense of awe and delight, if one takes the time to look and see. Living in an area where the farms meet the ocean, I am completely immersed in nature. Natural forms and shapes profoundly influence my work. My most recent series combines natural fibers (such as lace, fabric and thread) with encaustic, to build objects that reference oceans, forests and deserts. I love building environments that can read large or small (such as as a stand of trees or an aggregate of lichen). Nature is wonderful and weird, asymmetrical and off balance, and I aspire to capture that sense of delight in my artwork.
Bio:
Dot Bergen is a self-taught, abstract encaustic artist living in the rural, coastal community of Little Compton, RI. Dot received a BS in Biology from the University of Massachusetts in 1985, an MS in Marine Ecology from San Diego State University in 1992, and a PhD in Invertebrate Zoology from University of New Hampshire in 1996. In 1996, she received a Postdoctoral Fellowship at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute in Falmouth, MA. After teaching at Boston University for several years, she left academia to raise her family and begin her art career. In 2001, she started working with fiber, creating art quilts and fabric collage. She learned to paint with encaustics in 2015 and has continued to be inspired by this versatile medium ever since.
Dot is an active participant in the visual arts community. She is an Elected Signature Member of the National Association of Women Artists (NAWA), and serves on the board of the local Massachusetts chapter of NAWA. She is a board member of the professional organization South Coast Artists, Inc. She is an exhibiting member of Imago Foundation for the Arts, and serves on the Development Committee. She is an exhibiting member of IMAGO Foundation for the Arts in Warren, RI. Her first solo exhibit will take place in October, 2025 at the West Wing Gallery at the Wrigley Studio in Tiverton, RI. She is a member of the Bristol Art Museum, Bristol, RI; Newport Art Museum, Newport, RI; Dartmouth Cultural Center, Dartmouth, MA, Attleboro Art Museum, Attleboro, MA.
Her work has been exhibited in Museums and Galleries throughout New England and beyond, including The Fuller Craft Museum, Brockton, MA; Salmagundi Club, NY, NY; Leonovich Gallery, NY, NY; Annmarie Sculpture Garden and Arts Center, Solomons, MD; The Wedeman Gallery, Newton, MA; JAG Gallery, Key West, FL; Spring Bull Gallery, Newport, RI; Bristol Art Museum, Bristol, RI; Attleboro Arts Museum, Attleboro, MA; Imago Gallery, Warren, RI; Dee Dee Shattuck Gallery, Westport, MA and Galatea Fine Art, Boston, MA. Her work is in private collections. Her studio/gallery is located in Little Compton, RI. Dot’s husband John names all of her pieces.
