Statement
My recent work in acrylic is a contemporary take on traditional landscape painting and is either executed on site or in the studio. I analyze and respond to what I’m looking at with broken color mark making to maintain a lively sense of energy and vivid color. These “deconstructions” aim to shed light on the beauty of ordered chaos in everyday scenes.
Bio
Brooke is a full time award winning artist working out of Wallingford in Seattle WA.
She began painting in high school 20 years ago in Southern California and earned a BFA in painting from the University of Oregon in 2010. She considers herself a self-taught landscape painter, gaining knowledge from plein air peers when she took her easel outdoor for the first time in 2009 and producing a prolific output ever since. Her unique style evolved from a desire to investigate human perception in aesthetics, and to stimulate our human senses by exaggerating the color and space we see around us.
Over the past decade as an exhibiting artist Brooke has become nationally and internationally collected, hangs in numerous galleries in the PNW and most recently been featured in Sep 2022 issue of Plein Air Magazine for urban plein air painting. In 2019 she was featured in American Art Collector Magazine and in 2016 Southwest Art Magazine was selected as one of the “21 artists under 31” artists to watch. She was awarded a prestigious prize for best oil/acrylic painting at the 2018 Carmel Plein Air Competition in California and continues to be recognized for her unique work in a traditional field, earning 3rd place on Whidbey island’s 2023 plein air paintout and 2 honorable mentions at the Edmonds plein air paintouts 2022/23. If you live in the Seattle area you may also find her work in various businesses or neighborhood art walks.
When Brooke is not making art she’s playing pinball as a world ranked competitor who participates in league and local tournaments.
Please follow her work on Instagram or Facebook @brookeborcherdingfineart
EDUCATION:
2010 Bachelor of Fine Arts, Painting, University of Oregon
GALLERY REPRESENTATION:
ALKI ARTS West Seattle, WA
GRAY SKY GALLERY Seattle, WA
RIVERSEA GALLERY Astoria, OR
SMITH & VALLEE GALLERY, Bow/Edison, WA
WHITE BIRD GALLERY Cannon Beach, OR
JG Art GALLERY Bainbridge Island, Winslow WA
Awards:
2024
Honorable Mention, Cole Gallery Plein Air Paintout, Edmonds WA
Honorable Mention, Whidbey Is. Plein Air Paintout, WA
“Joyful Art Award” Edmonds Arts Festival, WA
2023
3rd Place, Whidbey Island Plein Air Paintout, Coupeville WA
Honorable Mention, Edmonds Plein Air, Cole Gallery, WA
2022
Honorable Mention, Edmonds Plein Air, Cole Gallery, WA
Honorable Mention, Whidbey Is. Plein Air Paintout, Coupeville WA
Best Landscape, Richland Plein Air Paintout, Gallery at the Park, WA
2021
Honorable Mention, Whidbey Plein Air Paintout, Coupeville WA
2020
2nd place, Art in Miniature, Mival Gallery Mercer Island WA
Best in Show, “Back to Redmond”, Virtual Art Show, WA
2019
Juror’s Award, Renton Annual Art Fest
3rd Place Shoreline Annual Art Fest
Juror’s Award for “Afternoon at Cape Disappointment”, Renton annual Art Show
2018
Best Oil or Acrylic Painting, Carmel Plein Air Festival, Carmel CA
2017
Best Non-Traditional Plein Air, Boulder Plein air Festival, Boulder CO
3rd Place Associate Arts of Ocean Shores Fine Art Juried Show, Ocean Shores WA
2016
Selected artist in Southwest Art Magazine's 21 under 31 annual selection, August editorial
Best Plein Air, Plein Air & More Festival, Cannon Beach OR
Best In Show, Americana and Independence Day Show, Tsuga Fine Art, Bothell WA
2015
Honorable Mention, Miniatures, Kenmore Art Show, Kenmore WA (Juried by Irina Kirienko Milton)
2014
Award of Merit, Issaquah 1st Annual Plein Air Paintout, WA
Yamhill Lavender Festival Honorable Mention, (Juried by Ramona Youngquist), Oregon
2013
Beauty of the Northwest Honorable Mention, Gallery North, Edmonds
2012
City Scene Honorable Mention, Hillsboro Plein Air Paintout, Walters Cultural Arts Center, Hillsboro, OR (Juried by Eric Jacobson)
Juror’s Award of Distinction, Umpqua Plein Air Paintout, Umpqua Valley Arts Association, Roseburg, OR (Juried by Thomas Kitts)
2011
Honorable Mention, SCAL 81st Annual Exhibition, Contemporary Landscape Painters of California, (Juried by Scott A. Shields)
Juror’s Choice Award (George Billis), National Juried Exhibition, Academy of Fine Arts, Lynchburg, VA
2010
Juror’s Choice Award (Christine L. Sundt), Mayor’s Art Show, Jacob’s Gallery, Eugene, OR
2009
Best in Show, Pacific Northwest Art Annual (juried by founder Adell McMillan, Kelly Rauer of Portland Art Center), University of Oregon, Eugene, OR
Juried Exhibitions:
2024 Mountlake Terrace annual juried show, WA
2022-24 Cole Gallery Juried Plein air paintout, Edmonds WA
2022-24 Plein air Washington Annual Juried Exhibit, Cole Gallery, Edmonds WA
2022/19/18 Carmel Annual Plein Air Competition, Carmel CA
2022 / 2023 Schack Art Center Annual Juried Shows, Everett WA
2020-2024 Anacortes Annual Juried Shows, WA
21-24 Edmonds Annual Juried Shows, WA
2020 Little Gems, virtual show via Scott Milo Gallery, Anacortes WA
2019 Structural Elements, American Art Co, Tacoma WA
2019 Renton Annual Juried Art Show, WA
2019 Era of Living, Plein air Exhibit, University House Issaquah WA
2019 Pets on Parade, Schack Art Center, Everett WA
2014-18 Plein air Washington Annual Juried Exhibits, the American Art Co, Tacoma, WA
2018 Bemis Annual Spring Show, Seattle WA
2018/17 Ocean Shores Annual Juried Show, Associated Arts of Ocean Shores, WA
2017/16 CVG Statewide Annual Juried Show, Collective Visions Gallery, Bremerton, WA
2017 4th Annual Living Mark Exhibition, Verum Ultimum Gallery, Portland, OR
2016 Santa Fe Plein Air Festival, InArt Gallery, Santa Fe NM
2014/15 Call of the Clouds & NW Landscapes , ArtEast, Issaqua WA
2012 Pacific Northwest Plein Air 2012, Columbia Center For the Arts, Hood River, OR
2012 Richeson 75 International Small Works Exhibition, Kimberly, WI
2011 National Juried Exhibition (Juror George Billis), Academy of Fine Arts, Lynchburg, VA
2010 GATA (Gallery at the Airport), Eugene Airport, Eugene, OR
2010 Mayor’s Art Show, Jacobs Gallery, Eugene, OR
2010 Process Impact: Open Activist Art, Eagle Art Gallery, Murray State University, KY
2010 National Association of Women Artists Small Works Open Exhibition, N.A.W.A. gallery, New York, NY
2009/10 Pacific Northwest Art Annual Exhibition, Adell McMillan Gallery, Eugene, OR
2009/10 Open Studios Art Tour, Downtown Initiative for the Visual Arts, Eugene, OR
2009 California Open Exhibition (juried by Michael Zakian-Director of Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art, Malibu), TAG gallery, Santa Monica, CA
Group Shows:
2021-PRESENT
Gallery artist at Gray Sky Gallery, Pioneer Square Seattle WA
2019-PRESENT
Gallery artist at RiverSea Gallery, Astoria OR
2016-PRESENT
Gallery artist at White Bird Gallery, Cannon Beach OR
2015- PRESENT
River Gallery Spring & Fall shows, Mount Vernon WA
2014-2016
Alki Arts, Seattle WA
2016
Lynwood Convention Center WA
2014
Community Arts Program, Design Center, Seattle WA
30x30 Challenge, Avanti Art and Design, Seattle WA
"Urban Energy”, Cole Gallery, Edmonds, WA
Testing the Waters” Abstractions, Cole Gallery, Edmonds, WA
2013
State Parks Exhibit Plein Air Washington, American Art Company, Tacoma WA
30x30 Challenge, Avanti Art and Design, Seattle WA
2011
Miniatures, Vistra Framing Outlet, Eugene, OR
Oregon Wine Country, David Joyce Gallery, Lane Community College, Eugene, OR
2010
Member Show, Oregon Arts Alliance, Eugene, OR
Plein Air painters of Lane County, Flying Turtle Gallery, Oakridge, OR
2009 Plein Air painters of Eugene/Springfield Showings: Emerald Art Center, City Hall, Eugene Public Library, Sylvan Ridge winery, OR
2008 - 2010 Student work group shows, LaVerne Krauss Gallery, University of Oregon, OR
Participation/Memberships:
2013-present Member of Plein Air Painters of Washington PAWA
2009-2012 Plein Air Painters of Lane County member/participant
2009 - 2011 Children’sart workshops at Emerald Art Center, Springfield, OR
2008 - 2011 Gallery host, Studio Art Tour committee member of DIVA, Eugene, OR
Private Collections:
2009 Walk Across Coburg Road, Pacific NW Art Annual winner for the University of Oregon permanent collection, OR
2008 Eugene Landscape, University of Oregon permanent collection, OR
Publications:
Acrylic Painting editorial, Plein Air Magazine Oct/Nov 2020
American Art Collector editorials “Winter Wonderland”, “Urban Paintings” Issue February 2019
What Is Plein Air Painting? Featured Artist, Issaquah Highlands Connections, Community News, July 2014 OutdoorPainter.com, "3 Paintings in 90 Minutes: One Artist's Exercise", Sep 2013 http://www.outdoorpainter.com/news/three-paintings-in-90-minutes-one-artists-exercise.html
Washington En Plein Air Volume IV http://www.blurb.com/b/4638742-washington-en-plein-air
“A Beautiful Day in Oregon” Cover image for Oregon Watershed Councils Atlas of Accomplishments, 2011
“Impressions of the Ordinary”, Eugene Weekly, Art Shorts, June 23, 2011 http://www.eugeneweekly.com/2011/06/23/artsshorts.html
“Passport to Art: Artists open their studios for DIVA”. Eugene Weekly, Visual Arts Section, October 15, 2009. (http://www.eugeneweekly.com/2009/10/15/visart1.html)