By Maggie Fitzpatrick
Oil painter Annie Guldberg of Mount Pleasant loves creating pieces that showcase her artistic voice and getting to share them with the community.
Her art is a culmination of all the places she’s lived, relying on various nature themes from the Rocky Mountains in Colorado to the rolling hills in Iowa. She uses lots of swirls and bright colors and pulls inspiration from artists like Grant Wood and Vincent Van Gogh.
Though oil paints are her favorite, she works in other mediums as well, including acrylics, watercolor, and graphite.
A Lifetime Making Art
Throughout her career, she has participated in various exhibitions, sold her artwork to customers across the nation, and made murals for several locations in southeast Iowa.
One significant moment for her was her first solo show called “Dreamlands,” which took place at a gallery in Wisconsin. She was so excited for the opportunity that she sent postcards to her previous co-workers, college friends, and all her extended family inviting them to come.
“We filled up the whole gallery, and it was just like this huge party of people I loved and cared about,” said Guldberg.
The show was a big undertaking that featured multiple large-scale paintings. She even made a coloring book with line drawings of the pieces for attendees.
Much of her work is deeply personal, and this is particularly evident in her favorite piece, “Innermost.” The painting depicts an empty chair in the middle of a purple room with a light shining on it.
Guldberg described the meaning behind it: “I was creating a visual representation of my inner mind, the place in my mind where I go to think about art or life.” Although it was scary putting something so vulnerable into the world, she said she’s proud she did it. Many people connected to it, which made it even more personal for her.
Becoming a Muralist
As she’s grown as an artist, she’s also explored new ways to display her art, such as doing murals. Though many people had asked her to do them, it took a few other projects to push her into it.
First, she worked on some Peace Poles after Mount Pleasant resident Abigail Heaton asked her to make some. These are monuments placed all around the world with the phrase, “May Peace Prevail on Earth,” in various translations. Masahisa Goi started this initiative in Japan in 1955, but the project has grown into an international organization called May Peace Prevail on Earth International.
Later, Guldberg completed a 30-foot totem pole at the KILJ Radio Station in Mount Pleasant. It was so tall she had to use a boom lift to reach the top.
After these projects, she connected with the New London Community Childcare Center to paint a mural of cartoon farm animals and another one of a magical forest.
Now, she’s created murals all over, including at Ignite Dance Company and the Art Center of Burlington. She even partnered with Main Street Mount Pleasant to make a transportable mural that was displayed during RAGBRAI.
How It All Started
Guldberg always enjoyed art class, but it wasn’t until she discovered oil paints that she truly found her passion.
She loves oil paints’ thick texture and the words she can make with them.
“It’s the thickness of toothpaste, and if you squeeze it out, it’ll stay like that,” said Guldberg. “I also love the simplicity and uniqueness. A lot of people don’t want to mess with it.”
During spring clean-up, Guldberg’s mom just happened to pick up some oil paints someone put out on the side of the road.
“A box of dried-up oil paints started it all,” Guldberg joked.
It wasn’t just the paints that led her to where she is now. Her high school art teacher, Mrs. Judy Peck, was instrumental in helping her develop her skills. Guldberg went into the art room even when she didn’t have class, and Peck taught her to oil paint.
Though Guldberg lives in Mount Pleasant, she is originally from Colorado, where she lived until she was 12. After that, she moved to Mount Pleasant, where she attended Mount Pleasant Christian School.
Moving away from her core friend group at such a young age was hard for her, but art provided a much-needed outlet.
“It was a difficult transition for me, which probably led me to art as something I could do as an introvert hobby,” Guldberg reflected.
College and Corporate Years
She went on to earn an art degree at Wisconsin Lutheran College. However, her college years were not without difficulty. She was forced to learn mediums she wasn’t interested in and had to deal with the constant criticism of pieces she loved.
Despite these struggles, she wouldn’t change a thing. She met her husband in her first year of college and discovered her love for graphic design.
“Adversity isn’t always a bad thing. Sometimes struggle and going through hard things is good,” said Guldberg.
Before pursuing art full-time, Guldberg had several corporate jobs in Milwaukee. She did layout for a publishing company that made magazines about model railways and train watching. Later, she shifted to production at a different printing company that made Newsweek and Target advertisements.
Eventually, she moved back to Iowa after her husband got a new job. She worked in various places part-time from printing to photography but got laid off during COVID.
This event was just the push she needed to focus on her art.
“My husband was like, ‘All the art events and sales have been building up, and I think it’s time for you to just dive in’,” said Guldberg.
A Teacher’s Spirit
In addition to making her own art, she also teaches private lessons at her home studio. Ironically, she has never taught students oil painting because they usually want to learn watercolor or drawing.
Guldberg said that teaching has not only benefited her students but also herself: “Learning how to explain things and help people through their own art has helped me understand myself as an artist and really refine my skills.”
She loves watching her students grow because she knows how much work and passion it takes. In these lessons, she aims to create an environment where everyone can feel supported.
One piece of advice she gives her students is to just keep making as much art as possible. She encourages them not to save their supplies because “they’re fulfilling the paint’s purpose by using it.”
What’s Next
Annie Guldberg continues to work on her art in her home studio in Mount Pleasant and does commissions. When she isn’t painting or teaching, she loves spending time with her husband and two kids. More information about Guldberg can be found on her website, oilpainterannie.com, or on her Facebook page.
