Isaacs Art Center

Marian Berger

Marian Berger



 



Born in Limerick, Ireland, the daughter of a meteorologist, Marian spent her early childhood on Wake Island and Alaska, where she acquired her father’s love of science, her mother’s artistic bent, and her parents’ mutual love of the outdoors. “I assumed that art was a natural part of life, a way that everyone expressed themselves,” she says.



During her teens, Marian focused on abstracts until she took a course at Humboldt University in representational drawing, which she remembers “truly opened my eyes.” Today, Marian’s art combines fine details with soft hued touches which give her paintings a warmth that makes them seem to come alive.



After graduating from Humboldt with a degree in wildlife management, Marian moved to the Big Island of Hawai’i in 1976, where she has received many awards and commissions for her art, particularly her paintings of Hawai’i's native birds. Marian was also commissioned to paint a mural for the Hyatt Regency in Waikoloa, and has done many exclusive private commissions for lovers of fine art both in Hawai’i and on the mainland. Her art has even been profiled in Bishop Museum Natural History calendars.



She has won numerous awards over the years, the most recent being Best of Show in two-dimensional art at the Volcano Art Center’s (VAC) 2009 Hawai’i Nei juried exhibition. One of the top art venues in the state, the non-profit VAC exhibits works from more than 300 artists, and is located in both Volcano Village and the Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park on the Big Island.