Mixed-media collage by Courtney Henson Brienen

Artist Bio

Courtney Henson Brienen has degrees in painting, textiles and art history. She combines these areas in her art making. She began her work experimenting with materials — plastic from daily life sewn within painted and stitched works — to develop a material vocabulary.

This in turn led to the word play in art titles and the following poem:

“Syphon”

Pulling in liquid that wakes us / Shakes us up, later the balm bringing us down
Placebo for lack / In the form of too much
Unbox, surprise and blind to difficulties we make ourselves.
If instead we break apart / Atom-ize, itemize the triggers
Coping brings us inward-sharing our prize / No.
Sterilized, sewn, imbued, re-sewn, re-seen, protracted
Overlaid, overlapped — rediscover the multitudes within us
Lasting feeling — all pieces remain
Cradle to grave, dust to gravel in pretty pieces
Pixels on screen / Parts per million never seen

Fifty percent of the proceeds from items sold while the show is on display at the Ballweg Gallery will be donated to the Fritz Food Pantry. Purchased items can be picked up after the show.

For more information or to contact Brienen, visit courtneyhensonbrienen.com.