ARTIST STATEMENT

About Dawn Behrens Art

As a later-in-life emerging artist, I have experimented with acrylic paint, polymer and air-dry clay, and mixed media. My inspiration for my art comes from a curiosity about life around me and alternative ways of responding to life after living many years. My goal with each piece is to show different perspectives and spark imagination in the observer.

My “COVID-19 Heroes” sculpture series honors those who have continued to serve amid the pandemic with little or no recognition for their efforts and their risk. The representational body forms and use of multi-color clay express that they may be any gender, any race, any age. The focus is on what they have done and continue to do for the rest of us to go on with our lives in this horrific time. The black masks covering a large portion of their faces indicate the attempt to protect themselves and others from the virus and the reality that they mostly had no voice in whether they would continue to be exposed to the virus. The red bases represent the lifeblood that they have given metaphorically and, sometimes, in reality.

My “Word Play” sculpture series focuses on having fun with the words of well-known and historical phrases and producing images that represent alternative meanings for the words. I love words and the different ways that words and art can be used in whimsical fashion to evoke joy and laughter.

My abstract paintings encompass colors and shapes and textures because life is made up of colors, shapes, and textures. The paintings conjure pictures in the heart as well as the mind. Even when I start a painting with a particular plan in mind, I always allow the painting to ultimately form itself.

If you would like to purchase any of my pieces, to talk about working together, or if you have a specific project you would like to propose, please do not hesitate to contact me.