Painting: Soft pastels on sanded substrate
21.5"w x 20.5"h (framed)
$1250
$600
Born in San Francisco in 1945, Brennie has been a lifelong Bay Area resident and currently resides with her family in the shadow of Mount Tamalpais and at their beach home along the northern coast of California. The paintings that emanate from these distinctively different settings differ in character as they draw upon the surroundings that set the mood and serve as a backdrop to their creation. Brennie's still life's take their cues from the world that surrounds her giving them the suggestion of a peaceful state of mind and a quietness of spirit. They often reflect nostalgic elements and touch on some childhood memory. A mix of still life and animal subject matter tell stories that are exquisitely beautiful, either real or imaginary, and always intriguing. The work seems not to teach or convey a message but allow the viewer a moment to pause, reflect, and interpret the patterns, rhythms, and rich blending of nature's palette. Her professional career as an artist began in 1995 when she enrolled in a series of classes at the College of Marin. There she discovered the joys of pastels and today she continues to work almost exclusively in that medium. Brennie's control of the pastel medium extends to every challenge of representational painting; the depiction of form, the subtle shadings of light and color, and the rendering of surface textures, translucencies and fine details. These paintings are wonders of beautifully modulated light, sumptuous color, and a vast wealth of visual information. In 2002, Brennie was awarded the status of Master Pastellist in the Pastel Society of America in New York City, NY. She is a Signature Member of the Pastel Society of the West Coast, the Society of Western Artists, the Marin Society of Artists, and a member of the Sebastopol Center for the Arts. She has been the recipient of numerous awards in regional, national and international exhibitions and most recently was awarded the prestigious honor of first place in the still life category of a national magazine competition. Recent publications of Brennie's work include The Pastel Journal, Artist's Magazine, Pure Color-The Best of Pastel (North Light Books), Les Maitres du Pastel; Le Livre 2011 , (Diverti Publications) and Pastel and Pencil Artists ofthe South Mendocino and North Sonoma Coasts. She served as a juror for the Pastel Journal Competition in 2005 and The Artist's Magazine in 2008. Her paintings are in private and corporate collections throughout the US.