Winner of “HerStory” 2021 “Outstanding Woman Artist Achievement Award”

Biruta Akerbergs Hansen,  sitespecificmurals.com, creates magnificent murals commissioned by museums, publishers, and organizations around the world. Water, Desert and Forest are the most predominant themes for her awe-inspiring murals that sometimes measure up to 5,000 square feet.

Her many exhibitions and collections include: American Museum of Natural History, New York; Smithsonian Institution, Museum of Natural History, Washington, DC; National Academy of Sciences, Washington, DC; National Geographic Society; World Magazine National Wildlife Federation; among others.

Recently, her mural painting “Tree, More Valuable than Gold”, shown above, was selected for for the Manhattan Arts International “HerStory” online exhibition. She received an “Outstanding Woman Artist Achievement Award”, which includes this interview.

Tree, More Valuable than Gold, a mural in Bass Pro, Toledo, Ohio, 20 feet x 40 feet.

When Biruta submitted her art entries to “HerStory” she shared this statement: “By painting the natural world at a large scale I wish to draw the viewer into a deeper state of peaceful contemplation, transporting him or her from present preoccupations to a calming and ultimately healing frame of mind. I research local environments and history to be better able to engage the audience, although sometimes I introduce unexpected features that are nevertheless compelling to the viewer. My background in both science and art have often overlapped, one informing the other.”

The artist with her mural of Apache Trail, Bass Pro, Mesa, Arizona.

RP: Biruta, when did you first realize your desire to create large-scale murals?

BAH: I was asked to be assistant to a muralist at a local Bass Pro store remodel at a period in my career when I was already successful in creating art in various media, most of it intricately detailed and scientifically oriented. Up to that point my largest artwork was a life-size fiberglass cow painted in acrylics showing its anatomically correct skeleton. My initial confidence in mural painting was severely tested when I was first given a nine inch roller and assigned the task of painting a 25 foot sycamore tree on a wall. Now this was a monumental challenge!

Desert Sedges, Bass Pro, Rancho Cucamonga, California.

RP: How did you face creative challenges like that one?

BAH: At that point my biggest challenge was to put paint on the wall and try my best to make it resemble leaves and branches and a trunk of a sycamore tree. I soon was given additional assignments and the next steps were to research the subject matter, then remember everything I had learned about painting in art school and museum visits and apply it with large brushes and gallons of paint, with my nose a foot away from the wall. Everything that applied to a small painting was equally as important in large scale; drawing, atmospheric perspective, color harmony, detail vs the larger picture. etc.

RP: What are some of the most rewarding experiences you receive from creating large scale murals?

BAH: Opportunity knocked, and I stepped through. I have progressed the full spectrum from my museum work where I illustrated and reconstructed specimens measuring millimicrons through a microscope to painting walls measuring twenty feet high and two hundred forty feet long. I was able to utilize knowledge and training from varying experiences at every step in my artistic journey. Painting at a large scale places me in an intimate relationship with the subjects I am painting. Painting a tree becomes a tactile exploration of the structure of its limbs, the texture of its bark and the feel of the leaves or needles. I become one with a cloud, sweeping my whole arm and brush across the sky as the edges disappear into softness. It is exhilarating.

The artist is shown here with her mural of Coral Reef, Bass Pro, Destin, Florida

RP: What reaction would you like viewers of your murals to have?

BAH: Most of my work has depicted natural scenes. I hope to be realistic enough for the subject matter to be recognizable, even identifiable, yet pleasing at a more spiritual level, conveying a sense of atmosphere or time of day, invoking a desire to be in the painting, or a respite from daily distractions. I feel that I need to attempt to capture the intrinsic nature of the scene, more than my interpretation of it. I strive to discover the essence of everything I paint, thereby making even the most complicated subject compelling to the viewer.

RP: What is your current project(s)?

BAH:I have a commission of a four foot by eighteen foot painting for a hospital under construction. It will be a panoramic view of the Susquehanna River as seen from western shore, depicting the rural landscapes, cornfields with traditional Amish farms that are so much part of this area, with a distant view of islands and the far shore. It will be a continuous series of three panels painted with acrylic, each four feet by six feet.

Coral Reef, Destin, Florida

RP: Do you accept private mural commissions? If so, which is the best way for people to contact you?

BAH: I may be contacted by email (available on her website). I will accept a project if subject, location, time, and the state of the pandemic allows.

RP: In addition to your website and studio, where else can one view your art?

BAH: The most accessible mural is the historic “Canal Days” on the exterior wall of the Perry County County Council of the Arts in the central square of Newport, Pennsylvania. At ten feet by eleven feet the scene is of the Juniata Canal in 1885, when the Pennsylvania Canal was the commercial route providing transport to growing markets to the west. The mural depicts a barge carrying a load of railroad ties and a local street scene bordering the canal.

The artist is working on this mural of Gray Lodge Wildlife Area Bird Migration, Bass Pro, Rocklin, California.

RP: What advice do you have for artists who want to also create large-scale murals?

BAH: These days external wall murals have become increasingly popular. This may involve belonging to a local arts or mural arts society, where there is an opportunity to be involved in a group project and learn many more techniques than simply painting on a wall. Or find a prospective wall and a homeowner willing to offer their wall! Many homeowners wish to have a child’s room decorated, or decorative work done in a living room, foyer or ceiling. You can also offer to do a residency in schools and involve students in researching local history. Grants may be available for Arts in Education.

My advice in general to artists is to, above all, perfect your drawing skills. There is a proliferation of online classes and mentorships in every conceivable genre. One can be learning from morning through the night. Enter shows. Putting out your work opens new doors, new friends, and new clients!

RP: Biruta, thank you very much for inspiring us with your art and for submitting your art to “HerStory”. My final question is, why did you submit your entries to “HerStory”?

BAH: I had just discovered you and Manhattan Arts International, bought your excellent source book “ART In Healthcare For Artists” and realized that I needed to be involved with this organization that cared about promoting women artists and art in the healthcare industry. Applying for “HerStory” seemed like a serendipitous opportunity to reach out to you and like-minded artists in the organization.

Learn more about the Manhattan Arts International “HerStory” 2020-2021 exhibition.

Visit Biruta Akerbergs Hansen’s website sitespecificmurals.com