“I’m drawn to the simple and natural beauty around me. Bringing my attention to nature reminds me to celebrate the temporal and ever changing parts of ourselves and each other. Let’s be curious together.”
GWEN OULMAN-BRENNAN
Gwen and her young son live in Amherst, Massachusetts. She is trained as a painter and metalsmith but moves between modalities with ease. While her schooling was an important part of her development as an artist her continual desire to keep exploring materials and mediums keeps her work ever changing and fresh.
With a young son running around, her studio work has shifted these past couple of years to making objects that can be enjoyed by the younger among us.
For a long time I admired those artists that had a very distictive and honed body of work. I wondered if I wasn’t a serious artist since I struggled to choose a single style, a single medium, a single subject matter. The longer I have been creating, the more I have come to embrace and see my fluidity as an integral part of my making practice.
My creative practice is opening in new ways as I watch my son explore the world. I am embracing the many wonders around us with fresh eyes inspired by my son’s enthusiastic and curious eyes. He is reminding me of the importance of exploring objects with ones hands and eyes. I love watching as he becomes an expert prototype puzzle tester, inventor, creative thinker, maker, artist and builder.
PROCESS
Gwen has a keen sensitivity to the beauty of subtlety and simplicity in nature. Her work has a delicate strength that is seen in her thoughtful subject matter, forms and material choices.
For me the creative process is about connection, continually learning and seeking beauty. As a parent how do we balance all of the needs in our home and community?
Trying to make time to be in nature is one important part of my practice. My mind quiets while walking along a beach or in the woods. My pockets are often full when I return home. This might just be heretitary because I’m starting to see my son also fill his pockets with treasures. Pebbles, stones, leaves, and twigs are just a few of the treasures I collect. Many of these objects find their way into my studio. Boxes and drawers full of these collected objects fill my studio until they gradually make their way into my work.
It is often during these times spent in nature that ideas and concepts are sparked. A daily studio practice allows me to explore those sparks deeply through my hands. The materials I use become a part of my vocabulary as an artist.
As a visual and tactile learner making objects is how I learn. My making process is about balancing form, beauty and concept. It is a visual exploration of concepts. Making objects for little ones is a way to both learn and teach.
