Tropical Obstructions at Hamiltonian Gallery
I will be exhibiting new work alongside Joshua Wade Smith.
click here for Press Release
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I will be exhibiting new work alongside Joshua Wade Smith.
click here for Press Release
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Please check out the article about me and my work at The Studio Visit!!!
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Reviewed: “DC Emerging” at VisArts
By John Anderson, Washington City Paper
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By John Anderson, Washington City Paper
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Breaking through: D.C. artists emerge in VisArts exhibit
By Topher Forhecz, Gazette
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By Topher Forhecz, Gazette
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The Anatomy of a Tower Crane Artist
By Joshua Yospyn, Worn Magazine
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By Joshua Yospyn, Worn Magazine
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Art Preview: Jessica van Brakle at Hamiltonian Gallery
Local artist’s new work takes her crane motif back to the drawing board
By Kriston Capps, Washingtonian
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Local artist’s new work takes her crane motif back to the drawing board
By Kriston Capps, Washingtonian
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I have been selected for the Artist Residency Program at the Arlington Arts Center!
Studio visits are welcomed, so please stop in and say hello or contact me to make an appointment.
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Studio visits are welcomed, so please stop in and say hello or contact me to make an appointment.
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Daily Candy visits Transformer Gallery! Artwork is available for viewing and purchase from their new permanent Flat File which features approximately 200 works by DC based emerging artists as well as artists from throughout the US. I have several pieces included so go check them out!
"Architecture and design enthusiasts will be in awe of the up-and-coming D.C. artist’s construction creations. We adore “Honey Moon,” a drawing of cranes on a yellow paint-sample card, and “Pimpernel,” which depicts buildings and cranes in black with a pink floral-pattern overlay."
-"Transformer Gallery's Affordable Masterpieces- 5 Gifts for Art Fanatics", Daily Candy- Washington, DC Edition, December 2010.
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"Architecture and design enthusiasts will be in awe of the up-and-coming D.C. artist’s construction creations. We adore “Honey Moon,” a drawing of cranes on a yellow paint-sample card, and “Pimpernel,” which depicts buildings and cranes in black with a pink floral-pattern overlay."
-"Transformer Gallery's Affordable Masterpieces- 5 Gifts for Art Fanatics", Daily Candy- Washington, DC Edition, December 2010.
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Review of New Now at Hamiltonian Gallery:
"Jessica van Brakle‘s intentionally decorative acrylic and ink paintings depict building cranes and plants in mortal combat for compositional domination."
- Elizabeth Schlatter, Deputy Director and Curator, University of Richmond Museums.
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"Jessica van Brakle‘s intentionally decorative acrylic and ink paintings depict building cranes and plants in mortal combat for compositional domination."
- Elizabeth Schlatter, Deputy Director and Curator, University of Richmond Museums.
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I have been selected for a two-year fellowship with Hamiltonian Gallery! The 2010 So-Hamiltonian Fellows were selected from a pool of over 130 very promising applicants and were evaluated on technical merit, originality and relevance to today's art world. Learn more about the So Hamiltonian Fellows Program here.
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Check out the December 2009 issue of DC Modern Luxury Magazine. My painting Color Blocks made the cover!
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The Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation has launched a New Artist Registry!
My piece "Diamonds and Pearls" has been chosen by guest curator John Massier (Hallwalls) for their first online exhibition of fellowship winners entitled Room to Roam.
"Similarly, Jessica van Brakle’s Diamonds and Pearls takes a perfunctory subject and reimagines it as an elegant equation. Layering rhinestones with paint, van Brakle utilizes the forms of construction cranes and buildings to concoct a quirky visual love note to progress. Set against the blunt forms of her buildings, she draws a decorative element from the cranes and depicts a kind of mechanical ballet. Her addition of looping frills across the bottom of the image reiterates the delicate beauty of what are otherwise thought to be tough, brutish forms."
-John Massier, Visual Arts Curator, Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center in Buffalo, NY.
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My piece "Diamonds and Pearls" has been chosen by guest curator John Massier (Hallwalls) for their first online exhibition of fellowship winners entitled Room to Roam.
"Similarly, Jessica van Brakle’s Diamonds and Pearls takes a perfunctory subject and reimagines it as an elegant equation. Layering rhinestones with paint, van Brakle utilizes the forms of construction cranes and buildings to concoct a quirky visual love note to progress. Set against the blunt forms of her buildings, she draws a decorative element from the cranes and depicts a kind of mechanical ballet. Her addition of looping frills across the bottom of the image reiterates the delicate beauty of what are otherwise thought to be tough, brutish forms."
-John Massier, Visual Arts Curator, Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center in Buffalo, NY.
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Press from Artomatic:
"For my money, the best artist in Artomatic 2009 was Jessica Van Brakle, of Arlington, not shown here. Van Brakle's paintings of lace, flora, and superimposed construction cranes make pointed reference to the differences between the sexes, while quietly emphasizing the commonality between men and women. Battle of the sexes becomes my-enemy-myself. It's a simple yet complex notion that virtually no one tackles. Van Brakle does it well. She was working this same theme when we reviewed her work last August in the "All-Arlington" show at the Ellipse Gallery. It'll be interesting to see how many other pithy notions she can bring forth in years to come, but for the time being she's working this vein of gold quite nicely. You can see her work at jessicavanbrakle.com.”
- Kevin Mellema, “Best in Show", Northern Virginia Art Beat, Falls Church News-Press, July 2009.
"When I was first exploring the 9th floor I almost missed Jessica's work. Lucky for her, I was attracted by the work of Jenny Walton, and once that caught my eye, it was natural for me to be magnetized also by her neighbor's work. Van Brakle's work is refreshing and very strong for such a young painter. If my fellow art dealers were to ask me about who to pick today and take to an art fair tomorrow and sell a lot of work, I would immediately send them to this new painter."
- Lenny Campello, “The Final Artomatic Top 10 Artists of 2009”, Daily Campello Art News- Blog, July 04, 2009.
"So who does the collector like? Barlow wouldn't give a Top 10 list or even a favorite floor. But he did express interest in -- or lingered longingly in front of -- the work of several artists. Here's a partial list of his favorites: Floor 9: Jessica Van Brakle...."
- Michael O'Sullivan, "Artomatic '09: Survival Tips From an Expert", The Washington Post, June 2009.
"Oddly enough, my two favorite artists shared a Color School meets urban landscape sensibility. Jessica Van Brakle's paintings featured bright color blocks atop floral vines intertwined with building cranes."
- Stephanie Merry, “Highlights From Artomatic”, The Washington Post- GOG Blog, June 2009.
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"For my money, the best artist in Artomatic 2009 was Jessica Van Brakle, of Arlington, not shown here. Van Brakle's paintings of lace, flora, and superimposed construction cranes make pointed reference to the differences between the sexes, while quietly emphasizing the commonality between men and women. Battle of the sexes becomes my-enemy-myself. It's a simple yet complex notion that virtually no one tackles. Van Brakle does it well. She was working this same theme when we reviewed her work last August in the "All-Arlington" show at the Ellipse Gallery. It'll be interesting to see how many other pithy notions she can bring forth in years to come, but for the time being she's working this vein of gold quite nicely. You can see her work at jessicavanbrakle.com.”
- Kevin Mellema, “Best in Show", Northern Virginia Art Beat, Falls Church News-Press, July 2009.
"When I was first exploring the 9th floor I almost missed Jessica's work. Lucky for her, I was attracted by the work of Jenny Walton, and once that caught my eye, it was natural for me to be magnetized also by her neighbor's work. Van Brakle's work is refreshing and very strong for such a young painter. If my fellow art dealers were to ask me about who to pick today and take to an art fair tomorrow and sell a lot of work, I would immediately send them to this new painter."
- Lenny Campello, “The Final Artomatic Top 10 Artists of 2009”, Daily Campello Art News- Blog, July 04, 2009.
"So who does the collector like? Barlow wouldn't give a Top 10 list or even a favorite floor. But he did express interest in -- or lingered longingly in front of -- the work of several artists. Here's a partial list of his favorites: Floor 9: Jessica Van Brakle...."
- Michael O'Sullivan, "Artomatic '09: Survival Tips From an Expert", The Washington Post, June 2009.
"Oddly enough, my two favorite artists shared a Color School meets urban landscape sensibility. Jessica Van Brakle's paintings featured bright color blocks atop floral vines intertwined with building cranes."
- Stephanie Merry, “Highlights From Artomatic”, The Washington Post- GOG Blog, June 2009.
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REVIEWS
“A far more subtle, yet just as poignant piece is Jessica van Brakle's "Towers and Lace." Here we find a beige, almost skin toned field with three construction cranes rendered in ink, overprinted with a three dimensional lace pattern below. You can find several metaphors here, but the most incisive one seems to be a juxtaposition of feminine and masculine power; a collage of sex and money. It seems to suggest feminine allure is, in fact, the real power driving progress forward. While Thalhammer's painting has a more modern "Gurl Power" perspective, van Brakle's piece has a more traditional perspective. Either way, as we all know, women never were as weak as all that "sugar and spice" nonsense would have you believe.”
- Kevin Mellema, “Northern Virginia Art Beat”, Falls Church News-Press, August 2008.
“Jessica van Brakle’s "Flag Banner and Cranes" mixes an impressive quality of preciseness with whimsy and even implied violence, The colors and drawings are immediately, graphically appealing and the images are highly crafted and executed. But beyond the visual attraction, I find compelling the novel approach to the theme of machine vs. nature, which as a viewer I witness from afar, behind a line of decorated “safety” flags.”
- Elizabeth Schlatter, Deputy Director and Curator, University of Richmond Museums, text from the Manchester National 2008 Award for First Place, April 2008.
“Even before Allison announced awards, it was clear that there were a few notably strong works in the show that warranted attention, particularly "Flag Banner and Cranes" by Virginia resident and Corcoran grad Jessica van Brakle. Seemingly girlish and friendly, the painting pits storybook cranes against bubblegum pink vines, natural growth ensnaring progress under a banner of peachy keen, polka dot flags. The deceptively simple picture hints at an ongoing battle between nature and development, a theme that's popular with today's incoming tide of contemporary artists.”
- Becca Ramspott, “Wills Creek Survey”, Cumberland Times-News, September 2007.
“The highlights include sculpture and paintings by Brian Sykes and Jessica van Brakle: Sykes’ "Boulder" is a wood-chip-and-straw bale bound in plastic wrap; essentially about materials, the piece has an uncanny surface, both reflective and transparent, and the playful juxtaposition of kitchen and garden materials leaves the viewer wondering whether the piece weighs a ton or no more than a bag of leaves. For her prim composition "Free Standing", van Brakle draws a simple construction crane over feminine wallpaper prints to question the role of gender in markmaking.”
- Kriston Capps, “Academy 2007”, Washington City Paper, July 2007.
“A far more subtle, yet just as poignant piece is Jessica van Brakle's "Towers and Lace." Here we find a beige, almost skin toned field with three construction cranes rendered in ink, overprinted with a three dimensional lace pattern below. You can find several metaphors here, but the most incisive one seems to be a juxtaposition of feminine and masculine power; a collage of sex and money. It seems to suggest feminine allure is, in fact, the real power driving progress forward. While Thalhammer's painting has a more modern "Gurl Power" perspective, van Brakle's piece has a more traditional perspective. Either way, as we all know, women never were as weak as all that "sugar and spice" nonsense would have you believe.”
- Kevin Mellema, “Northern Virginia Art Beat”, Falls Church News-Press, August 2008.
“Jessica van Brakle’s "Flag Banner and Cranes" mixes an impressive quality of preciseness with whimsy and even implied violence, The colors and drawings are immediately, graphically appealing and the images are highly crafted and executed. But beyond the visual attraction, I find compelling the novel approach to the theme of machine vs. nature, which as a viewer I witness from afar, behind a line of decorated “safety” flags.”
- Elizabeth Schlatter, Deputy Director and Curator, University of Richmond Museums, text from the Manchester National 2008 Award for First Place, April 2008.
“Even before Allison announced awards, it was clear that there were a few notably strong works in the show that warranted attention, particularly "Flag Banner and Cranes" by Virginia resident and Corcoran grad Jessica van Brakle. Seemingly girlish and friendly, the painting pits storybook cranes against bubblegum pink vines, natural growth ensnaring progress under a banner of peachy keen, polka dot flags. The deceptively simple picture hints at an ongoing battle between nature and development, a theme that's popular with today's incoming tide of contemporary artists.”
- Becca Ramspott, “Wills Creek Survey”, Cumberland Times-News, September 2007.
“The highlights include sculpture and paintings by Brian Sykes and Jessica van Brakle: Sykes’ "Boulder" is a wood-chip-and-straw bale bound in plastic wrap; essentially about materials, the piece has an uncanny surface, both reflective and transparent, and the playful juxtaposition of kitchen and garden materials leaves the viewer wondering whether the piece weighs a ton or no more than a bag of leaves. For her prim composition "Free Standing", van Brakle draws a simple construction crane over feminine wallpaper prints to question the role of gender in markmaking.”
- Kriston Capps, “Academy 2007”, Washington City Paper, July 2007.
