Brian David Dennis: A Constant Drive
Brian David Dennis was born in 1959, raised in a home with movable walls designed by his father, an aspiring artist. The fluidity of the modular arrangement captured Brian’s imagination. As a student Brian considered following his passion for stage design, but sought the more personal expression of fine arts. He studied at the Pennsylvania Academy and settled into mixed media. He later began to explore installation using the exhibition location as an essential part of the piece.
"I've only ever known myself as a maker."
"As a child in a forest, it was forts, dams, and towers. I drew and built models. As a teenager I became obsessed with stagecraft. High school was a blur of one production after another, in school and community theater companies. In between shows, I painted, collaged, and simply made.
At 18, I gave up theater and pursued fine art exclusively. For a brief time, I attended studios at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Art and Barnstone Studios. At 23, I met my current husband, Keith R. Breitfeller. We decided the focus of our life together would be as artists. Our commitment and respect for each other's practice laid the foundation for our work to flourish."
About His Process
"My process relies heavily on experimentation rather than technique or knowledge. I forge along, following any leads that emerge. When collaging, I forage to provide a solution to build composition, color, and context. But fundamental to my choices is a synchronicity with my subconscious flow."
Brian David Dennis pulling poured latex
"It's temporal quality dissolves into a timelessness"
"I've amassed a stockpile of elements. Some are found objects, but most are panels I've altered with gilding, acid, dye, paint, bleach, and abrasion. I work with an array of flat surfaces: tracing, sand, and other papers, photographs, drafting film and mylar. Cardboard is a core material. I have a strong affinity for the rhythm of the corrugation, the mellow manilla color, and its omnipresence. Above all, it has an authentic and honest quality. Presented with simple elegance and dignity."
Bleached cardboard waiting to be used
More Than A Process
"Central to my work is a curiosity to explore. Throughout my career I have leaned toward nontraditional materials. At times, it has been led by inspiration, others by necessity, but always by being open to possibilities. My art-making process is more akin to meandering than a formal academic practice. In that freedom, I have stumbled into many rewarding 'accidents.'"
Shown: Brian David Dennis
