Brenda Grajeda
ARTIST STATEMENT
I have always maintained a love affair with the earth and a fascination with color, texture and light. I am intrigued with the change in illumination from dawn to dusk or autumn to summer; how is it that an element so simple as light can transform the hue of a river, a meadowland or a mesa.
My desire is to express in the abstract the imagery I see in nature; patterns, surface elements, space and the seasonal shifts of vibrancy. Through the manipulation of color and texture, it is hoped that the viewer is imbued with a feeling of contemplative passion.
Large scale canvases are my primary medium, while occasionally working on paper. My pieces reveal themselves to me through the use of oils, encaustic, soft pastel, oil stick and pencil, applied with a palette knife, brush, rag, and sometimes a bare hand. Layering, scraping, scratching, incorporating text and in some cases, scraping away part of a layer, allowing each painting to slowly expose itself. The result is a transparency of color that draws the viewer into the chasms, crevices and deeper soul of each painting.
EXHIBITIONS
1979 Barnsdale Park, Los Angeles, CA
2001 Santa Monica Healing Arts Center, Santa Monica, CA
2002 Physical Therapyworks, Santa Monica, CA
2003 Harold’s Gallery, Inglewood, CA
2003 Fine Arts Institute San Bernadino County Museum of Art, San Bernadino, CA - Placed 3rd
2003 Gallery revisited, Chinatown, CA - “the inaugural reception”
2004 Gallery revisited, Chinatown, CA - “augmented interiors and alternative landscapes”
2004 Harold’s Gallery, Inglewood, CA
2005 Harold’s Gallery, Inglewood, CA
2006 Harold’s Gallery, Inglewood, CA
2008 Panni di Ambra, Hollywood, CA
2011 DAC, Durango, CO – “People Choice”
COLLECTIONS
Russ Byrant Designs, Los Angeles, CA
Physical Therapyworks, Santa Monica, CA
Mr John Moore, Hollywood, CA
Mr. David B. D’Andrea, Woodland Hills, CA
DGC Graphics Corporation, West Los Angeles, CA
Ms. Lillian Oakley, Claremont, CA
Dr. Richardo Wilson, Hollywood, CA
Mr & Mrs. Jon P. Dravillas, Larchmont, CA
Mike & Ellie Cote, Durango, CO
OTHER
Los Angeles County Museum of Art - Emerging Artist Program, Sales and Rental Gallery
I have always maintained a love affair with the earth and a fascination with color, texture and light. I am intrigued with the change in illumination from dawn to dusk or autumn to summer; how is it that an element so simple as light can transform the hue of a river, a meadowland or a mesa.
My desire is to express in the abstract the imagery I see in nature; patterns, surface elements, space and the seasonal shifts of vibrancy. Through the manipulation of color and texture, it is hoped that the viewer is imbued with a feeling of contemplative passion.
Large scale canvases are my primary medium, while occasionally working on paper. My pieces reveal themselves to me through the use of oils, encaustic, soft pastel, oil stick and pencil, applied with a palette knife, brush, rag, and sometimes a bare hand. Layering, scraping, scratching, incorporating text and in some cases, scraping away part of a layer, allowing each painting to slowly expose itself. The result is a transparency of color that draws the viewer into the chasms, crevices and deeper soul of each painting.
EXHIBITIONS
1979 Barnsdale Park, Los Angeles, CA
2001 Santa Monica Healing Arts Center, Santa Monica, CA
2002 Physical Therapyworks, Santa Monica, CA
2003 Harold’s Gallery, Inglewood, CA
2003 Fine Arts Institute San Bernadino County Museum of Art, San Bernadino, CA - Placed 3rd
2003 Gallery revisited, Chinatown, CA - “the inaugural reception”
2004 Gallery revisited, Chinatown, CA - “augmented interiors and alternative landscapes”
2004 Harold’s Gallery, Inglewood, CA
2005 Harold’s Gallery, Inglewood, CA
2006 Harold’s Gallery, Inglewood, CA
2008 Panni di Ambra, Hollywood, CA
2011 DAC, Durango, CO – “People Choice”
COLLECTIONS
Russ Byrant Designs, Los Angeles, CA
Physical Therapyworks, Santa Monica, CA
Mr John Moore, Hollywood, CA
Mr. David B. D’Andrea, Woodland Hills, CA
DGC Graphics Corporation, West Los Angeles, CA
Ms. Lillian Oakley, Claremont, CA
Dr. Richardo Wilson, Hollywood, CA
Mr & Mrs. Jon P. Dravillas, Larchmont, CA
Mike & Ellie Cote, Durango, CO
OTHER
Los Angeles County Museum of Art - Emerging Artist Program, Sales and Rental Gallery
