The Artist

Miranda Aschenbrenner

I have always considered myself an artistic, creative person, but until late in high school, that consisted only of doodles and the occasional sketch in my much-neglected sketch book. In grade ten, I met a girl who was extremely talented at drawing anime, and thought to myself, “I can do that!”

With a single-mindedness that quite surprised me, I set to learning how to draw,  teaching myself using books from the library and various online tutorials. I enrolled in every art class my small school had to offer, including an art careers course where I learned how to write a CV. By the end of grade twelve, I had become adept at realism, and was earning high marks in all my art courses.

From there, I went on to University and did my Bachelor of Fine Arts. This was a very challenging and profound experience for me. In my first three years, I struggled with the school’s push towards theory and conceptualism. During my final year, under the supervision of an excellent mentor, I began to develop my own style, moving away from realism to  non-representational works. I learned a lot about myself that year, and grew both personally and artistically.

Since graduating, I have had several exhibitions, and continue to develop my art practice. My work now oscillates between realism and abstract, each one challenging and rewarding in its own way. I love the methodical precision of drawing realistically, and sometimes crave the kind of focus it brings me. On the other hand, the abstract work allows me to loosen up and work more intuitively, which I also need at times.