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Sunday, July 06, 2008

The Christl Corporation, established in 1994, invests in projects that enhance the awareness of art, architecture and urban design. The Bergstrom Block at 9616 82 Avenue in Edmonton, designed by my husband David Murray Architect and built by the Christl Corporation, won a 2007 Award of Excellence in the City of Edmonton Urban Design Awards Program. The feedback from the community has been wonderful. People seem to enjoy the simplicity of the contemporary design and the way the building fits into and completes the streetscape. This project was a long time coming. I bought the property in 1993 but the economic recession meant that I couldn't build right away. By 2004 it was possible and David's design was exactly what I was looking for. We moved into the second floor in 2006 and now have a great urban apartment with a large open roof garden. This is significant because of the precedent it sets for sustainable urban development. We are committed to city-building, living close to work, supporting high quality architectural and urban design that celebrates urban life and minimizing our impact on the environment.

Since 2001 the Red Gallery across the street from the Bergstrom Block, also my studio, has welcomed the public to see my paintings. Having a prominently-located gallery for exhibitions has regularly exposed my work to the public over the past 7 years. Currently I am solely represent by myself. The gallery was substantially renovated in 2007 with the assistance of my daughters Neeva and Carrie, multi-talented young women. We installed a large skylight and improved the insulation, storage and display surfaces. David helped to make the space an architectural delight with day-lighting replacing artificial lighting. The wood joist roof structure has been exposed and painted adding a measure of visual interest. This year marks the start of a new artistic era for me. I will be focusing on several new series of paintings - portraits, urban landscapes and eroticism. The latter has been my interest since university in the early 70s and is, perhaps, what will inspire me the most in the coming years.

posted by Christl Bergstrom's Art Matters at 12:48 PM