Caldwell, NJ – The Mueller Gallery at Caldwell University hosted an Artist Talk event on Wednesday, September 23, 2026 to celebrate Annie Norbeck and her solo exhibition, Afield. The exhibition ran from September 4-30, 2026.

Annie Norbeck is an oil painter informed by place and the relationship between space, color and line. Norbeck holds a BFA from the Maryland Institute College of Art, and has also studied at the Pratt Institute, Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design, and the Yard School of Art. She has exhibited in solo and group shows nationally, and her work is held in private collections in the US and internationally.

Céline Browning, Assistant Professor and Gallery Director, ran the event and spoke with Norbeck about the inspirations behind her work and the lessons she has learned over the years, both in and out of art school. This exhibit, Afield, focuses on viewing the horizon and landscape through a window of a moving car or train and how these distorted views of the terrain become records of memory. Reflecting on her inspiration, Annie Norbeck said,

“Because we moved so much, I observed landscape and kind of the passing of place as a constant in my childhood. So, we moved four times before I was eight, and so… those transitions and those changes and kind of taking in the world as it went by, and as the environment changed has become a really important piece of what I’m reflecting on and where I’m going.”

Annie Norbeck works primarily in oil, allowing her to create the foundational layers of a piece before building upon it and adding other elements, such as color. Using colors has always played an important role in Norbeck’s art, starting as early as 4th grade when she took a class in the Chicago Park District taught by a woman studying Van Gogh and the use of color in impressionism.

“I think I use color as a vehicle for the emotion of a place or the feeling of a place, rather than the literal representation of the color that is in the landscape, necessarily,” Norbeck explained.

Throughout the talk, Annie Norbeck offered advice to the art students in attendance. She highlighted the importance of experimentation and not being afraid to make imperfect work. “Make so much work, make ugly work, make bad work, make any work, and just keep going. And I think one corollary to that is keep an ugly sketchbook,” she said to students. Norbeck also cautioned students against being afraid of ruining a piece, and encouraged them to push through that feeling to see what comes of it.

“You get to a certain point in a work and you’re, like, ‘oh God, I’m going to ruin it,’ and so you don’t, and you let it sit, and it sits and it festers. And it doesn’t ever evolve, and you never learn from it. And I think the lesson is, if you make it once, you can make it again. Kill it every time. Ruin it. Take out the part that you love the most and keep going,” said Norbeck.

Norbeck’s final piece of advice was to connect with other artists and foster those relationships because they can offer support and advice as well as potentially open the door for professional opportunities. “The artist relationships that I’ve had have been the most important part of my independent artist life and career in terms of working into galleries, and finding opportunities to show,” Norbeck said. To learn more about the Mueller Art Gallery and sign up to receive exhibition announcements, go to the gallery webpage here.