Bio:
Liza Brenner received a BFA in Drawing and a BS in Communication from Clarion University of Pennsylvania. She completed a MFA in Painting and a MA in Art Education from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania. While completing her MFA, she studied abroad at The British Institute of Florence in Florence, Italy.
For eight years, Liza worked as an Assistant/Associate Professor of Art at Glenville State College in Glenville West Virginia. During her tenure she was the Fine Arts Gallery Director and curated exhibitions from regional and national artists. She developed and implemented the Bachelor's of Arts Degree for the Art Program. Also while at Glenville, she studied plein air painting under Painting Professor Emeritus Bill White of Hollins University in Umbria, Italy and the South of France.
Liza Brenner relocated to the West Coast and continues to exhibit her work at the regional and national level. She recently received a purchase award from the Office of Arts and Culture in Seattle, Washington and has exhibited her works in museums such as the Monmouth Museum in New Jersey, The Huntington Museum in West Virginia and The Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Other recent invitational exhibitions include The Childhood End Gallery Olympia Washington, First Street Gallery in NYC, and the Jesse Best Gallery in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Liza currently is an Assistant Professor of Art at South Puget Sound Community College and resides in Olympia, WA.
Artist Statement:
These recent paintings are a meditative exploration of boundaries, a challenge of compositional twists and turns. As I approach these objects from an aerial perspective, the paintings take on a visual landscape of undulating color and shape. Even as still lives remain controlled and constant, there is a mystery to each composition as I work to find the hidden connection as the paintings unfold. This continues to pique my interest and ultimately drives my work.
I focus on arranging objects that have formal and conceptual relationships. The challenge in my painting process is figuring out what nuances to include and what to leave out. As I continue to paint, I try to remain true to myself and paint what I see, sometimes following the colors faithful to life and sometimes embellishing to create harmony and repetition.