Brandy Saturley Catches Public Attention

A Half Decade of Inspiration,
A Lifetime Vocation.

When I was a child my favorite things to do were to draw, to hike with the family & dogs, watch old black and white films, dance to our record collection and laugh. I was always happy when I was tucked in a  corner with pens, pencils, crayons or pastels. I didn't need a sketchbook. A scrap of paper, a napkin, a sidewalk, a pool of water would be enough. Drawing was comforting and it was a way for me to translate and process what was going on around me and in my head. Parents of friends always came to my parents with concern, asking if I was alright. My parents always told them I was content and happy doing my thing.

Fast forward to now.

It's hard to believe that this month marks five years since I made the transition from working at a job and following my passion on the side, to realizing my passion as my full-time vocation.

Five years ago, through the sale of five paintings and a fated lunch meeting with a patron, I was able to realize my dream and embark full steam ahead. Destination: the Art World. Plan: to paint every day and to get my work out in the world, increase my technical ability and find my true voice as a painter. Goal: increase my breadth and depth of skills & mediums through further education, travel, mentoring with masters in the field, to make a splash in the Art World, show and sell my work around the world and become a mentor to the next generation.

When I look back on the work I have created over the past five years, over 150 paintings, I smile. There have been ups and downs, with an extreme learning curve to get me up to speed and continue where I left off after Art School in the late 90's.  As with any career in the Arts, you either learn to use rejection as the fuel to keep propelling you forward, or you fold. There is no way I am folding and with five years under my belt I keep on gaining momentum towards my goals. I feel that I have really been very lucky in many ways and have experienced much success in the past five years.

The Art
From vibrant, curvaceous and flirtatious toes to jokers and jesters of Las Vegas. From surreal landscapes to dramatic mountains, portraits to Canadian stereotypes, my style and themes have developed over the years. Reflecting on this body of work I have seen my style emerge, with vivid color and energetic strokes. From the toes to the landscapes, you can see that every painting is detailed with abstract forms that float within representational elements.  Sometimes I inject humor, a narrative or a figure, but everything I paint comes back to the abstract shapes within.  We have compiled some photos of selected pieces from the past five years in a short video here.

The Shows & Press
From Vancouver Island to the United States, my work travels almost as much as I have over the past five years. With group shows, two-person shows and solo shows, my work has been exhibited in Canada: Victoria, Kelowna, Vancouver, Edmonton, Canmore & Calgary. USA: California, Miami, New York City, and overseas. My work has been printed and wrapped around public works boxes, appeared as album cover art, on restaurant menus, calendars and even opera posters.

From television & newspapers to the on-line world, I have had my work featured by many interesting publishers and personalities. TV: CityTV Vancouver, CHEK Victoria, SHAW. Print: Galleries West Magazine, Canmore Leader News, Art Avenue Magazine, Monday Magazine, Canadian Tire Jumpstart Calendar, Vancouver Island Art Calendar. Web: Visual Overture Magazine, Vogue Italia, Curry's Canada, Liquitex, Visual Arts Alberta, Art News Canada, My ArtSpace, Artists Wanted, BORBAY, Exhibit-V and Life As Human, to name a handful.

The Travels
Part of staying 'fresh' as an artist is taking breaks, to re-energize my spirit and re-fill the vessel. I have enjoyed picking up the camera again (under the influence of my husband, a cameraphile, with years of experience and love for photography) and learning to use a digital SLR instead of film. My pattern seems to be three months in the studio and one month out traveling, learning, showing and promoting. The camera allows me to gain a different perspective and focus on the details of the life that surrounds. Over the past five years we have travelled to the Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, Mayan Riviera and Mayan pyramid sites, New York City, Maui, Rocky Mountains of Canada, the vineyards of the Okanagan, the Coachella Valley, Joshua Tree and Palm Desert, Seattle, Vancouver and even my own Vancouver Island tour, retracing my roots. Needless to say, I have built a massive catalogue of reference and art photos. Some photos I have licensed through Getty Images and others, which will never see the light of day, but may invoke an idea for a painting or even a book in the future.

The Artists
Along the way I have met, exhibited alongside, been mentored by and corresponded with many artists. Some of these artist's include; Canadians: Don Frost, Barbara Hirst, Bob Fassl, Grant Leier, Mark Heine, Tad Suzuki, Ira Hoffecker, Bob McPartlin, David Foxcroft & Noah Becker. Americans: Kevin Grass, A.D. Cook, BORBAY.

I find great inspiration in the works of Georgia O' Keeffe, Tamara de Lempicka, Alex Colville, Charles Pachter, Gustav Klimt, Cirque du Soleil and The Beatles.

Being a visual artist is not something that is learned, but it is something that must be nurtured to grow, and in order to realize one's full potential, it must be practiced every day of one's life. I was born to be a visual artist. I grew up not wanting to be one, but knowing I am one, and have realized my true happiness following the path my body and mind told me to follow. Success as a visual artist is completely different than being a visual artist. Success comes from working hard, practice, further education, a drive that is unending. But success does not come without support, emotionally and financially, as well as a little bit of luck in 'the right place at the right time.' The further this journey takes me, the deeper I go, within and without. There is no separation between work and play, they are one in the same, and it is all consuming.

Thank you to all who have supported me on my journey by, buying a painting, a drawing, a photo. Providing advice, a reference, a storage space, transport, or a place to show my work. For the interviews, press and attending the shows. For the re-Tweets, for the Facebook shares and likes. For being a patron of my art, my sincere 'thank you' to all of you.

There is much more to come with two big announcements later this Summer. Hint, they have to do with Canadian Sport on a National level and the release of a limited edition collector's print run.

Brandy invites you to visit her website. Please click here.