As a lifestyle designer and expressive painter in acrylic, oil and mixed medium collage, St. Louis-based artist Faith Berger takes inspirations from the world to create intriguing artwork and a brand of aspiring interior accents.
Extrapolating from 30 years experience as a gallerist and deft at art planning, she says her painting is a natural transition from all she’s learned from hundreds of artists. Her intense study in design, art glass, sculpture and painting and theory behind art imbues her desire to create.
Faith says she's learned from, and continues to be inspired by, one of her own nuggets of wisdom realized later in life: "Don’t be afraid to go for it. Don’t be shy! Experiment with your ideas."
The new Faith Berger Linen Line was recently showcased at Hearth and Soul in Clayton, demonstrating that her artwork complements all types of spaces. In fact, she says she's working on some original pieces to exhibit at the B'nai Amoona Art Gallery, which will be a handful of individual pieces that display together as 16 feet of artwork when assembled.
Additionally, she produced a series of 250 original Faith Berger Design greeting cards with a contemporary spin that's high-quality and sophisticated. A box comes with five hand-painted greeting cards for $95, each unique in its own way. "These one-of-a-kind cards are perfect for your special occasions, and also are one way to review my designs, which can be applied to other decor options, such as wall coverings," Faith says.
Over time, Faith has evolved into more of a full-service interior designer for offices or homes, weaving in her own artwork matched to clients' tastes and preferences.
The St. Louis native artist recently launched a collection of rugs in collaboration with Valentina Casale, owner of The Art Rug, a premier rug manufacturer based in Puebla, Mexico. Based on Faith's paintings, the handmade floor coverings can be custom-ordered to fit any size or shape of room. The stain-resistant rugs are hand-tufted using yarn made from 100 percent New Zealand wool and dyed in The Art Rug’s facility in Mexico. They are created to last 20 to 30 years. "The beauty of this collaboration is that the designs can be made into a circular or an abstract pattern, which makes it easier for consumers to adapt them to their homes,” Faith explains.
Faith also is an art consultant through a business she founded in 2007, Faith Berger Art Consultants. As a full-service art planning firm, she says she applies her bevy of artists to develop concepts and turn them into client solutions. "From implementation to handling, delivery and installation, the best art result happens when thoroughly considered and thought out by us," she adds.
Faith Berger Art Consultants assisted entities include Crescent, Meadowbrook Country Club, Pricewaterhouse Coopers, Luxco Spirited Brands, DHR International, Enterprise Bank and Trust, the 1015 Locust Building, Moneta Group and Parkview.
Faith serves as CEO of 652 Moderne Art Consultants, and works with other local interior designers as they execute their clients' customized projects, too. She owned and operated Barucci Gallery in Clayton for more than 27 years. Her mother, artist Shirley Taxman Schwartz, a buyer, frame designer and restoration expert, had purchased the gallery in 1987. Barucci is often credited with bringing the “American Studio Glass Movement” to St. Louis and featured many national and international artists, such as Romero Britto, Dale Chihuly, Robert Morris, Grant Miller and Toland Sand. Before the gallery closed in 2011, it was named one of the country’s Top 100 Galleries for 15 years and, for 10 of those, one of the Top 10 Galleries by Buyers of American Craft Group.
Faith often serves as an ambassador of the St. Louis art scene, even judging the 2022 St. Louis Art Fair. "St. Louis, and particularly Clayton, is blessed to have so many wonderful interior designers and artists," she states.
One of Faith's favorite collaborative efforts was the creation of the Clayton Triangle to promote art and boutiques at the intersection of Maryland Avenue and Brentwood Boulevard in Clayton. This project earned her the Clayton Chamber of Commerce's Retailer of the Year Award.
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"From implementation to handling, delivery and installation, the best art result happens when thoroughly considered and thought out by Faith Berger Art Consultants," says owner and artist Faith Berger.