Acrylic, plywood, shotgun bullet holes
48″ h x 36″ w x 1 1/2″ d
Encaustic, acrylic, Unryu paper, bullet holes, wood panel
30″ h x 24″ w x 1 1/2″ d
Encaustic, acrylic, Unryu paper, bullet holes, wood panel
24″ h x 24″ w x 1 1/2″ d
Tin lids, resin, metal mesh sheet, black pipe
Three panels, each 96″ h x 48″ w
Artist Statement
I’m a painter and mixed-media assemblage artist. I’ve been working for quite some time with rusted metal objects found in the Mojave Desert. Recently I’ve been intrigued with all the gun shell casings I’ve been finding littered in so many little canyons there.
I’ve always liked the bullet hole patterns left behind in rusted beer cans and oil drums and have now become inspired to work with guns as an artistic tool. It’s been interesting and a little unsettling to explore the disparate feelings invoked by the violent force of a gun blast and the beauty of the destructive bullet hole patterns left behind. Along with these thoughts, I’ve also found that I can’t help but contemplate the question, “Why do people like to shoot stuff?”
In our society, many of us have no need to hunt animals for food and hopefully no need to shoot at someone for personal protection. Yet we seemingly do still have a deep survival instinct that compels us to test our prowess and ability to “hit the mark.”
Education
2005 Studies, Chouinard Art Institute, Pasadena, CA
1993-2012 Studies Art Center College of Design, Pasadena, CA
1989-90 Studies Advertising Center, Los Angeles, CA
1983-84 Studies University of California, Los Angeles, CA
1973 BA California State University Northridge, CA
Bio
Born and raised in Los Angeles, CA, Brenda Hurst received a BA degree in Art with an emphasis in photography from California State University, Northridge. From 1993 through 2012, she continued her artistic studies at Art Center College of Design in Pasadena where she took courses in digital design and imaging, Photoshop, painting and sculpture. She also studied painting at Chouinard Art Institute in 2005.
The focus of her creative work is not only on painting but also on mixed-media assemblage, encaustic and photography. While incorporating a wide variety of materials and found objects, she’s interested in the process of discovering how to thoughtfully bring them together in inspirational ways through intriguing textural relationships and patterns.
In her professional life, Hurst always worked in creative fields whether it was as a scenic artist for the television and film business, as the Assistant to the Director of the Craft and Folk Art Museum or later as a Director of Still Photography and Photo Producer at NBC Universal.
She has exhibited in group shows in Southern California and New York and has had two solo shows as part of a multidisciplinary performance piece. In addition, Hurst participated in three street art sticker shows in Europe (France, Germany and Switzerland).
She is a member of the Southern California Women’s Caucus for Art and their Eco-Art Collective, Arroyo Arts Collective, and International Encaustic Artists (Los Angeles LAX WAX chapter). After having a studio at The Brewery Arts Complex in downtown Los Angeles, she now works as a full-time artist at her studio located in Altadena, CA.
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