A third generation Santa Barbaran, I spent a large part of my childhood on a 15,000 acre coastal cattle ranch above Gaviota – one of the original Spanish land grant ranchos. My fondest memories include roaming alone on horseback for hours and hours, up and down the canyons, seeing the land go on forever from the ridgetops, and on the beach, observing the natural world with the innocent imagination of childhood. This core experience has formed the basis of my vision and my art.
To create my reconceived landscapes , simultaneously real and surreal, I utilize photographs, field notes, and thumbnail sketches, but more importantly, I am able to tap into a huge visual reservoir of memories. Because I love nature and am so deeply connected with the land where I live and where I was raised, the imagery in my work is comprised of the topography, botany, geology, atmosphere and light indigenous to the West. …Although derived from, but not necessarily specific places, these views and scapes are "re-imaginings " of familiar settings, often injected with an intense, and sometimes mysterious light, that invites the viewer to travel within, toward a well-lit horizon. The mood and personal experience that these paintings offer is therefore an invitation to connect with a unique and magical landscape.
| PHOEBE BRUNNER .. Born 1951 in New York. Studied at California Institute of the Arts (Chouinard); Universidad de Guadalajara, Otis Art Institute, and University of California, Santa Barbara (BFA 1972). Resides in Santa Barbara, CA. | |
| AWARDS | |
| 2002 | John E. Profant Foundation for the Arts , Individual Visual Artist Grant , 2002 |
| 1992 | Gold Award, Art of California Magazine |
| 1987 | Santa Barbara Museum of Art Fellowship, “Meet the Artist” |
| Finalist | General Services Administration’s Art in Architecture Program, San Francisco Federal Building |
| SOLO EXHIBITIONS | |
| 2010 | Elverhoj Museum, Solvang, CA |
| 2009 | Rovzar Gallery, Seattle, WA |
| 2008 | Hespe Gallery, San Francisco, CA Easton Gallery, Santa Barbara, CA |
| 2007 | Sue Greenwood Fine Art, Laguna Beach CA |
| 2006 | Hespe Gallery , San Francisco, CA ( also 2004, 2001, 1999) Easton Gallery, Santa Barbara, CA ( also 2003, 2001, 1997, 1993) |
| 2005 | Sue Greenwood Fine Art, Laguna Beach, CA |
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2003
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Koplindelrio Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
The Jonathan Club, Malibu, CA |
| 2002 | Koplin Gallery ,Los Angeles, CA ( also 2000, 1998, 1996) |
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1995
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Contemporary Arts Forum, Santa Barbara, CA
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1990
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Louis Newman Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
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1974
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Comsky Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
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1972
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College of Creative Studies, University of California , Santa Barbara
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| SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS | |
| 2008 | Edge: Santa Barbara County Artists Respond, Channing Peake Gallery, Santa Barbara, CA A View From Here: A Group Exhibition of Contemporary Landscapes and Cityscapes, Judson Gallery, Los Angeles, CA |
| 2007 | Berkus Family Collection, University Art Gallery, CalPoly State University, San Luis Obispo,CA ( catalog ) |
| 2004 | The Political Landscape, Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery Speculative Terrain, Carnegie Art Museum, Oxnard, CA. ,  Riverside Art Museum, Riverside, CA and Laband Art Gallery, Loyola Marymount University , Los Angeles, CA |
| 2001-2002 | Representing L.A: Pictorial Currents in Recent Southern California Art, Frey Museum of Art, Seattle, WA., South Texas Institute of Art, Corpus Christi, TX., and Laguna Art Museum, Laguna Beach, CA., (catalog ) |
| 2001 | Dreamscapes, Wignall Museum, Rancho Cucamonga, CA. ( catalog ) |
| 2000 | 20th Century Showcase of Santa Barbara County Artists, Elverhoy Museum, Solvang, CA, |
| 1997 | Curator’s Choice, Santa Barbara Museum of Art, Ridley-Tree Education Center |
| 1995 | Landscape:The Continuum, Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery ( catalog ) |
| 1994 | Twenty Leading California Landscape Artists, Columbia Club, Indianapolis, IND |
| 1992 | Strong Spirit – A Century of Santa Barbara County Landscape Painters, Santa Maria Museum Art Center, Santa Maria, CA |
| 1991 | Santa Barbara Artists 1, Santa Barbara Museum of Art |
| 1990 | The Art of Love, Riverside Art Museum, Riverside, CA ( catalog ) |
| 1988 | Meet the Artist, Santa Barbara Museum of Art, ( catalog ) |
| 1987 | Eternal Interest: Visions of the Figure, Zolla Lieberman Gallery, Chicago, IL Fantastic Vision, Simard Halm Gallery, Los Angeles,CA Julia Morgan Memorial Exhibit, Riverside Art Museum |
| 1986 | Five Painters, University of California, College of Creative Studies Hollywood Inside and Out, Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery Wallworks, LA Artcore, Los Angeles,CA |
| BRUNNER is represented in the collections of: | |
| Glenbow Museum of Art, Calgary, Alberta, Canada Wellington Management, Boston, MA and Singapore Santa Barbara Museum of Art Iquantic Corporation, San Francisco, CA Patagonia, Ventura, CA United Technologies, Hartford, CONN Security Pacific Bank, Los Angeles, CA Allstate Insurance Safeco Insurance Company, Orange, CA Four Seasons Hotel, Scottsdale, ARIZ Automobile Club of Southern California Universal Studios, Orlando, FLA First American Venture Capitol,Inc., Indianapolis, IND Fireman’s Fund, Novato, CA San Marcos Town Center, San Marcos, CA Irving Trust Co., Los Angeles, CA Rossbacher & Assoc., Los Angeles, CA Santa Barbara Chamber of Commerce, Santa Barbara, CA Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, Los Angeles, CA The Barry Berkus Family Art Collection and numerous private collections |
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