Brenda Maxson

BMaxsonStudios

The picture above is titled “Phoenix of the Heart”. It’s Acrylic Flow medium and it represents what I have been going through recently in my heart as well as my artwork.

Welcome to my world. I love art, love to create art for its beauty and the glory of God…and I enjoy getting into my work. When I began painting, back in the late 1980’s, I was a stay-at-home mom looking for something to do with my time while my kids whiled away their time during the day, being little kids. I began homeschooling them then needed an outlet even more. My “on-again-off-again” painting experience with acrylic paints was very slow and painfully self-taught. I desired to spend much time with it, but time was not what I had. I found myself begging God for the day when I could do nothing but paint. Well...that day has arrived. I am retired and love every minute of it. I find myself, some days forgetting what time it is because I am so involved in my painting. The styles I find I enjoy painting are landscapes and abstracts. Working with acrylics and oils are both very enjoyable to me. I enjoy Landscapes as well as Abstracts. Within the categories of abstract and landscapes, you will find me using brushes, pallet knives, my fingers and sometimes whatever I can get my hands on for a “good” look in abstract.

My Landscapes are created from actual places (I use reference photos) as well as a creation from my imagination. These Landscapes from my imagination are always fascinating to see how they come out. Abstract allows me the freedom to create beautiful paintings which are the expression of me, my emotions, my inner self, without the limitations of the boundaries of the space of “this is a rock” or “this is a tree”, etc. The paint does the painting along with my feelings for color that day. “What are my emotions?”, “What am I feeling?” when I am painting a piece, I will most often pray before I begin a piece, asking God for His guidance in my work and ask Him to glorify Himself in the piece. To me, when I do this, my work is “clearer”, it makes more sense to me.

When I began way back in the early 1980’s, I’d watch Bob Ross on PBS, devouring all he had to teach me. I’d translate his teachings into acrylics because I had young children around and didn’t want them touching, and thus destroying, my hard work. From there, I’d eventually devour any book from the library I could get which would teach me anything “art”. I also found myself “up close and personal” to many, many paintings “researching” their technique and brush stroke. There were many art museums I fond myself in that I had the security guards watching me rather closely. This was my Art School and still is today. I learn most by observation. I’m recently adding a few lessons from Wilson Bickford, a locally renowned artist in oil, to help me branch out in this area.

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