The Beginning
Brenna’s journey into symbolic arts began around age 14, when symbols started flowing onto paper like an itch that had to be scratched, draining her ink pen until it was empty. She would get lost in a single piece of paper, carrying it from class to class until, by the end of the week, it was completely filled with intricate marks.
Each symbol followed strict rules—only so many curves and turns, exact spacing between each form—a dedication likely born from her intense attraction to symmetry, which later made her a skilled graphic designer.
For years, her symbols remained starkly monochromatic; any attempt at adding bright colors felt jarring and unfinished, much to her mother’s bewilderment. These colorful attempts were promptly thrown away. Only recently have muted colors found thier way into her work.
The Experience
Brenna hadn’t made an effort to share her work until recently, so it’s been a surprising experience to watch people enter her studio, drawn to specific pieces and spending quiet minutes in wide-eyed contemplation. She prefers these one-on-one studio visits over exhibitions, appreciating the intimacy of the setting.
Though no one has yet asked her to symbolically interpret their personal stories, she looks forward to the day when her work might take on that deeply personal connection.
Brenna’s art emerges from a deep fascination with the human brain’s innate storytelling power and the origins of symbolic communication. She explores how, over time, our minds have grasped and crafted symbols to shape reality, passing stories from generation to generation.
Her practice balances objective symbol-making with fluid, non-representational forms, inviting viewers to question and connect without fixed meaning. Through her use of abstract symbology and asemic writing, she releases the constraints of conventional language.
The Medium
While Brenna often practices her symbols and asemic writing digitally, she never considers selling these pieces. Her true art comes alive in physical mediums, combining graphite with tempera or textured acrylic with oils on canvases between 3 and 5 feet.
This practice is both physical and immersive; working on large canvases requires her whole body, lifting a handmade cotton brush that holds several pounds of paint. Sometimes, her process is relaxed and movement-focused, while other times, it becomes a precise, intentional practice, incorporating symbols that convey deeply meaningful stories, often ancient, and timeless.
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Education
BFA in Photography, Art Institute of Portland, Portland, OR - 2013
Group Exhibitions
The Photography Show, Grey Raven Gallery, OR - February 2024
American Me, Portland’5 Centers for the Arts, OR - February 2018