Artist StATEMENT
Within my encounters of both love and loss, I have found equal importance. My work is an intimate representation of how our bodies and experiences mirror patterns found in the natural world, where there is no apology in decay or growth. I utilize a patient confrontation with pain, recognizing the significance of experiencing discomfort, and then releasing the narrative as a physical manifestation towards constant new beginnings.
The forests and rivers that surround us do not judge us at our lowest, and are impartial to our joy. They simply allow us to be.
Bio
Brooke is an oil painter and Tattoo Apprentice currently based in Connecticut. She graduated from Appalachian State University in 2022 with a BFA in Painting and Drawing. She hopes to return to school in the future to further her fine arts development.
Living in the Blue Ridge Mountains was incredibly impactful on Brooke, and she spends any free time she has in nature. After college, she moved up north to pursue a career in the arts. In 2024, she lived in Brooklyn and worked at The Metropolitan Museum of Fine Art. She then decided to dedicate her present self to a Tattoo Apprenticeship under Amanda Mastronardi, owner of Rebel & Rose Tattoo in Westport, CT. She is excited to build her portfolio in a new medium, and broaden her artistic perspective and meaning through working in this intimate practice.
Artist CV
Education
2018 – 2022 BFA from Appalachian State University
Scholarships and Awards
2022 Academic Grant from Appalachian State University
2021 Academic Grant from Appalachian State University
2018 Academic Excellence Scholarship from Appalachian State University
Artist Talks
2020 Appalachian Summer Festival Artist Talk
Exhibitions
2022 Webster Arts - Seasonal Rhythms Exhibition
2022 Annemarie Sculpture Garden & Arts Center - I’ll Be There: An Exhibition About Love
2022 Smith Gallery Art and Design Expo
2021 Nth Gallery Halloween Show Group Exhibition
2020 Smith Gallery Art and Design Expo
2019 Looking Glass Gallery Foundations Juried Exhibition
Work Experience
2023 - Present Tattoo Apprentice at Rebel & Rose Tattoo Studio
Summer 2024 - Fall 2023 Visitor Services Ambassador at The MET Museum
2022 - 2023 Curator of Collections at The Art Cellar Gallery
2020 – 2022 Paint Night Instructor at The Turchin Center of Fine Arts
2021 Teacher’s Assistant for Painting II at Appalachian State University
2019 – 2020 Gallery Ambassador at The Turchin Center of Fine Arts
Community Experience
2022 Objects Around the Table Community Dinner at The Beacon 2021 Buskers Fest Live Painting