Brenda York

"My greatest joy as a visual storyteller is offering the viewer questions to contemplate, secret symbolism to discover, and a little bit of whimsy all mixed together in vibrant, rich color."

Brenda York has always drawn and painted faces. In fact, there is much evidence pointing to the fact that she spent an inordinate amount of time drawing Sister Mary Francis Catherine in 3rd grade instead of paying attention to her in math class ( York is really lousy at math). She believes that creating narrative art is a way to attempt to make sense of our common human experiences.

York’s work is acrylic, collage, and graphite; her color choices are instinctual. The artist paints on black gessoed canvas starting with complementary colors to create tension and finishing with glazes to bring harmony to the composition. And that 3rd grade math class? Its influence shows up in her paintings as “pretend equations” and symbols scratched into the backgrounds of her paintings.

Brenda York has over 35 years of experience in the visual arts. She graduated from Arizona State University with a BFA in design and painting and has continued her education at Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, La Jolla Athenaeum, and Idyllwild Arts. She has also taught painting and art marketing in Southern California. Her work has been exhibited in museums and galleries nationally.