Morten E. Solberg.
Nov. 8, 1935 – Jan. 10, 2022
Internationally renowned artist Morten E. Solberg died Jan. 10 at his home in Bluffton at age 86. Over his long career he received numerous honors , including election to U.S. Art Magazine’s “Artist Hall of Fame” and the Susan K. Black Foundation “Lifetime Achievement Award.”
Solberg was famed for his unique wildlife and landscape paintings that combined realism with abstraction in multiple mediums. “A Solberg painting begins with bold splashes of color,” one California art critic wrote. “The freshness and spontaneity immediately captures the attention and imagination of viewers.”
Solberg once said the goal of an artist is to paint what he feels so that “whoever looks at the painting feels the same thing the artist does.” His paintings captured wildlife, landscapes and floral designs under such titles as ‘”Bald Eagle in Flight” and “Golden Autumn.” His “Morning Flight,” a watercolor of a mist-filled scene at Olympic National Park in Washington State, won the Arts For The Parks Grand Prize in 2005.
The artist was a tall and gentle man who often left a small drawing as an extra tip when dining out. He leaves for all a lifetime of beautiful art. His paintings are displayed in such places as the Smithsonian Institution, the National Gallery of Art and the White House.
Solberg was born in Cleveland, Ohio, where he attended the Cleveland Institute of Art at night. He was Art Director at Cleveland-based American Greetings Corp. card before moving to Southern California where he began his career as a full-time artist. He later lived in Florida before moving to Bluffton.
The artist was associated with The Red Piano Art Gallery in Old Town Bluffton and conducted workshops with the Society of Bluffton Artists. “Mort Solberg is a famous, and I mean famous, wildlife artist,” Ben Whiteside, the owner of Red Piano, told Hilton Head Monthly.
Solberg is survived by his loving wife Terri Solberg and daughter Tauna Solberg in Bluffton, and by daughter Brandalyn Solberg in Alaska and daughter Monet Solberg, her husband Matt and Granddaughter Orion in Washington state. He leaves three sons: Mort Solberg Jr., in North Carolina, Eric Solberg in Ohio, and Scott Solberg in Washington state, as well as brothers, a sister, cousins, and many other family members and friends.