Young Talent on the Rise Meet Brenner, a young artist taking the community by storm. At just 14 years old, Brenner already stands out at the Boys & Girls Club of Kern County, proving that age is no barrier to creativity. A dedicated participant in the Club’s after-school art program, Brenner’s passion for the visual arts has quickly evolved into a blossoming talent that has begun to attract attention. She started attending the Club and participating in the art program three years ago. What sets Brenner apart is her unique ability to express complex emotions through vivid colors, details and technique. Brenner’s favorite medium is colored pencil. She has been building her skills and technique with this medium since joining the Boys & Girls Club art program. Brenner’s talent has been noticed outside of the Club as well. Just recently, her work, The Musician Sleeping Statue was featured as the signature piece during the live auction at the Club’s annual fundraising event, Artfest. And to her surprise, it garnered a $5000 winning bid! Brenner took 4 months to complete that art piece, working on it every day after school. The piece is layered colored pencil on pastel paper, so she had to be very careful given that the paper has a very fragile tooth/texture. Brenner took on the challenge of recreating the piece originally painted by the event’s inspirational artist, Tamara de Lempicka. She chose this particular piece because she loved the colors and wanted to try doing a portrait while still giving it her own interpretation. In addition, Brenner had three other pieces in the Artfest Kidz Art Gallery that together sold for nearly $600. Two of her pieces, The Sleeping Statue, and Holmes were created using a stippling technique with black pen and ink on white Bristol paper while the third piece, Seashell, was done with her favorite medium, colored pencil. All three pieces created a bit of a frenzy at the event attracting multiple bids from event guests. The Club’s after-school program, where Brenner has honed her Holmes skills, plays a significant role in nurturing young artists like her. One of the program’s instructors, Ms. Emily, says, “Brenner is very gifted and her attention to detail is superb, she loves creating artwork that looks photo realistic.” As for what’s next, Brenner has big dreams, but art will always be a part of her life. “My overall dream is to become a surgeon and do art on the side,” she commented. With talent like Brenner’s, it’s only a matter of time before this young artist’s name becomes known far beyond her community. Brenner presenting her signature art piece, The Musician on stage during this year’s Artfest.
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BGCBRIEF|www.bgckc.org
Seashell
