PAF Artist Biographies
Brenna Busse
PAF Award Winner, 2006 & 2007
As a longtime resident of the greater Powderhorn neighborhood, I realize that I have been making art as long as I have lived in Powderhorn!
Perhaps, there is some connection. In my art, I use the humble materials of life, some of which I find right here in my neighborhood.
To make my mixed media figures, I use earth clay for head, hands, and feet. The bodies I construct using various fabrics: sewn and stuffed.; Then I look for the materials to attach - materials that create a metaphor and bring meaning to each piece.
Think of the possibilities! Zippers, buttons, keys, broken mirrors, rusted metal, for example, really expands the idea of mixed media - and by putting these everyday materials in a different context, we see them in a new way.
Borrowing from the natural world has deep meaning for me as well, as I endow my figures with sticks, drift wood or heart shaped rocks.
So what does it all mean? Creating these figures is a personal story of discovery - with materials as vocabulary; The series of pieces that I made entitled; “The Rhythm of Rust” represent my exploration of aging; The action of rust upon metal changes the quality and strength of the metal. Yet what is left is a beautiful color and texture!
When I show my work at shows in the region - like the Powderhorn Art Fair - people tell me it is their story too - somehow, it is all connected!
Brenna Busse - email - 612-724-8179
