Celeste Gober was raised in an apartment in the Bronx, a short distance from Bronx Park, Bronx Zoo, and the Botanical Gardens, places she often visited as a child, with her father. These environments inspired her love of nature. Because her mother had a flair for all things creative, Celeste’s love of beauty and appreciation of art also began at an early age, and she started drawing. She was accepted into the High School of Art & Design in Manhattan, where her interests broadened and she studied photography.
Putting herself through college at the School of Visual Arts, in NYC, Celeste studied film-making for two years and had the opportunity to write, direct, and produce her own 16mm short films as well as work on other people’s films. Years later, she completed her BFA degree in Media Arts, studying graphic design. In between she held jobs in a wide assortment of categories.
For more than twenty years, Celeste has enjoyed the beauty of Monmouth County, New Jersey, with its multitude of parks, horse farms, marshes, and close proximity to the ocean.
Celeste has studied watercolor and oil at the Guild of Creative Art in Shrewsbury and with various local artists including Tony Ventura and Jane Lux. She considers herself fortunate to be a part of the Plein Air Painters of the Jersey Coast because “my greatest growth as an artist has come from painting outdoors.”