I can remember with some vividness the first time I realized, much to my own surprise, that I could draw. Before the age of 16, it hadn’t even occurred to me to be a remote possibility. I was on a straight and narrow intellectual curriculum at an Ivy League private school, and being an artist was NOT on my “to do” list. Thank goodness I stumbled on art when I did! Who knows? I could have been a wealthy doctor with a yacht instead of an artist!

My original works were mainly in pen and ink… my first passion being botanical illustration, which became my major in college. While there, I illustrated a tree identification book which ended up being used in the college curriculum for a botany class.

My second incarnation as an artist was as a water colorist. I was still pretty enthralled by painting flowers at that point, as well as portraiture and figurative work of people from diverse cultures.

My third incarnation as an artist was combining my love of pottery with painting. I specialized in miniaturist painting on clay painted with glazes. It was always so exciting to open the kiln.. you never knew EXACTLY how the pieces would turn out until that magic moment, as glaze can be pretty finicky.

I took 10 years of off painting, but when I returned, it was will a whole new force and passion. All the paintings you’ll see in my galleries today have been created since the year 2000. Most are acrylic paints. Most of my career I made very little paintings. In this current incarnation of myself as a painter, the brushes and the canvases have grown in size, and the colors are more vivid.

I have a deep interest in religious iconography, and spiritual art, particularly from the east. The language, culture, art and customs of people from around the world intrigue me. In my paintings my intent is to make the figures believable, and to accurately represent classical iconography. Spiritual art is a reminder to return the sacred, and in so doing, be comforted, inspired, and awakened.

The other hat I’ve worn in my life is as a therapist and empowerment coach. In my own quest to potentiate, I am drawn to paint archetypal images whose presence speaks of self mastery and mystery.

What I find so interesting about painting is what I like to call, “The Art of Seeing.” What I am particularly intrigued by is the practice of really observing the painting carefully deeply “SEEING” the thing I’m painting. It’s amazing how you can look at something for hours before there is a big “Aha! ” and with a few strokes of the brush, it suddenly all makes sense.

 

 

 

I have been documenting my process with multiple pictures that illustrate my process of seeing. You’ve probably enjoy my videos that show my process with my more recent paintings.. In them you can see how I get from point A to point Z and some of the steps between (depending on how many times I remembered to take a picture in the process!) I really spend more time looking at the canvas than I do painting. Sometimes right side up. Sometimes upside down… from a distance and up close. Changing perspective really helps in the quest to really “see” what’s going on.

I won a national award in Multimedia climate change art with my NATURE WITHIN exhibition in 2016.   Now I am putting together a touring museum show featuring 12 pieces on the Nature within theme. Please check out my Patreon site to support me in this endeavor and receive cool stuff. http://www.patreon.com/sylviabrallier 

I hope you enjoy my art. Feel free to ask questions if you want something special that is not listed.