Statement:

This body of work is grounded in fundamental techniques of drawing where the act of creating marks and images becomes a focused, irrepressible and introspective activity. These marks are rhythmic in evolution on the page, creating a momentum I can’t interrupt while drawing. Individual marks may be simple and subtle, but as the marks on the paper accumulate, form and image become more evident. Works on paper begin from the obsessive mark using a wide variety of materials to make and imply lines and forms.  The images in my work relate to natural forms found in and around the hills of Utah but are abstracted and layered allowing for multiple interpretations. Small plants, so delicate, and yet so strong in their struggle to survive are what I often use to represent my themes. These small humble plants are elevated to the majestic as they are enlarged to become the central focus of my images, yet they retain their simplicity of form.  The tangle of scrub oak branches is reminiscent of human forms, while the abstract lines can perhaps be interpreted as trails in both physical and metaphorical senses.  Beneath these forms are simple and subtle ink trails with a density of accumulated ink creating soft variations in texture. The white of the paper seemingly becomes whiter in areas of dense trails. The endless variation mesmerizes me and compels me to continue exploring the possibilities on the page. These images, these icons of the trail, represent to me the wholeness of our existence and the nature of our journey through this life.

Bio:

Born in Michigan, Sandy Brunvand moved to Salt Lake City in 1982.  Sandy is an Assistant Professor (Lecturer) in art education in the Department of Art and Art History, University of Utah. After receiving her MFA in 2003, she co-founded Saltgrass Printmakers, a non-profit printmaking studio and gallery located in Sugarhouse.  As well as teaching studio and art education courses, at the U of U, Brunvand has also developed and taught a variety of professional development workshops for K-12 educators. These workshops have been delivered for the University of Utah, Salt Lake Art Center (Utah Museum of Contemporary Art, UMOCA), Jordan School District, Salt lake School District, Granite School District, and Art Works For Kids.

Brunvand’s artwork incorporates painting, drawing, printmaking, and mixed media. Her work has shown throughout the United States, as well as in Canada, England, New Zealand, and Hong Kong, China, Colombia, Palestine, Hungary, and Scotland.  Commissions include:  Utah Museum of Fine Arts, Salt Lake Art Center (UMOCA), and Utah Arts Council.  Grants include Utah Arts Council Established Artist Grant, multiple grants from Art Works for Kids, and the University of Utah Graduate research fellowship.  Brunvand was recently named one of Utah’s 15 most influential artists, voted on by Utah’s on-line arts magazine, Artists of Utah-15BYTES.  

As well as making, teaching and viewing art Brunvand also has a passion for playing blues and bluegrass music and hiking in the mountains with her husband Erik, and dog, Scruggs.  

Sandy Brunvand has been with Artnauts since 2013.