DVAA Member since 2022

Bernadette Colburn

About:

Bernadette Colburn is a visual artist that grew up in Baltimore, MD and currently resides in Philadelphia, PA. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts at Towson University of MD and she is currently working on her Masters of Fine Arts at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia, PA. Bernadette is a multi-disciplinary artist working in clay, metal, printmaking and painting. She is expressing our complex connections as humans to the landscape. Through her artwork she is exploring how we as humans interact to its animal, its plants, the land, air and water. Her work has been exhibited in galleries, museums and institutions that include the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia, PA; Holtzman Gallery, Towson University in Towson, MD; FMC Tower Philadelphia PA; The Plastic Club Philadelphia PA; Anne Bryan Gallery PAFA Philadelphia PA; Von Hess Gallery, PAFA Museum Philadelphia PA

Artist Statement:

I have always looked to nature for inspiration for my art. My love of the outdoors started as a young child with my family through hiking, camping and gardening. My artwork is full of organic shapes and forms that are derived from the natural world. Flowers, plants, trees, weather, geology, and decay are just a few of the subjects that I will study to bring ideas into my works. I use a mix of abstract expressionism and surrealism in my work. Bright colors and organic shapes help to express ideas surrounding family, childhood, dreams and the natural world. There is a childlike playfulness that shines through the various media I work in which include painting, sculpture, printmaking. Art has the power to open our eyes to the intricate beauty of the natural world. I wish to express our complex connections as humans to the landscape, its animals, its plants, the land, air and water that we depend on not just for survival but also for beauty, peace and meaning.