UNC CPVA Gala Benefit Performance and Art Show

Here is the artist statement posted for my painting, , selected to be shown at the UNC CPVA Gala Art Show. 

Artist statement

Brienna Vicek
Scenic Artist
University of Northern Colorado
 
When I was 6, my parents took me to my first play – A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Denver Center for Performing Arts. For such a young child, this is the first proof that imaginary things like fairies can exist in real life. At the time, I found no more joy in life than to spend a day with a sharpened pencil and notebook full of blank paper. As my family began to travel nationally and worldwide, my backpack was full of paper, colored pencils and little room for anything else. The images that poured from my brain were little more than reactions to the world around me, and mostly to that magic on the stage. From that point on, I became privy to a multitude of performances. To date I think the count is upwards of two plays for every month I’ve been alive. I continued to draw, dance, paint and perform all the way through high school when the imaginary started to lightly fade as I faced the realization of entering the “real world” and the decision to pick a college and a major that would support me for life. It’s a very daunting feeling, trying to understand that need for balance between happiness and financial stability. Thanks in part to the Greenwood Village scholarships, I found that encouragement to pursue my interests beyond high school– the inspiration to make art my life’s profession. I thought that if I could spend everyday for the rest of my life behind a stack of books and theatrical scripts with a paintbrush and my imagination I would be the happiest person in the world.
 
Today, I am in my junior year at the University of Northern Colorado pursuing double majors in Theatre Design & Technology (for Scenic and Costume Design) and Studio Painting. I find that collaborating with others is the means through which I am at my best and most successful. Each night a performance goes up I find a kind of contentedness that there’s a full house of people who’ve made an effort to come see my work. Even better is that tomorrow night, that house will be full with a completely new set of people. In this way, I feel I have earned the privilege to help make that magic I saw when I was 6. My favorite credits include Costume Crafts Supervisor for the PHAMALy production of Urinetown at the DCPA, Assistant Stage Manager for the six month run of UNC’s Rocky Horror Show, Assistant Scenic Designer – Media for UNC’s Amadeus and Properties Master for UNC’s The Intelligent Design of Jenny Chow. In addition, since joining the program I’ve worked as a scenic painter on almost every other production for the university.
 
When I sit down to pursue my own style and personal work outside of the theatrical realm, my work encompasses both the magic theatrical moments and my opportunities from travel abroad. Themes from my work often err towards a surrealistic and symbolic backstage perspective of the world. After graduation I hope to pursue a masters degree in the arts and work as an artistic director and designer in the theatrical field. I hope to combine the visual and performing arts with the overall objective of ensuring a unique and outstanding audience experience – to continue to make the imaginary and magical possible for today’s children and adults.