Arist Bio
As a very young student attending a public magnet school for the arts in Florida, Bren accumulated accolades including multiple scholastic gold keys, a YoungArts title, and a Congressional Art Competition win. Bren attributes her vibrant painting style to the mentor she studied under in her early years, Jeanne Pellegrino. Bren went on to pursue science, ultimately obtaining a bachelor of science from Cornell University and a doctorate in Biomedical Engineering from Purdue University. The integration of Bren’s love of science and formal art training can be seen though the exactness of the drawings in her paintings and close observations of color. in 2025 Bren moved to Boston and began the series cityscapes an exploration of the atmosphere, sights, sounds, and lights of the city. Primarily a painter, Bren has produced a body of work that encapsulates the experience of life as a resident of the city during political upheaval.
Artist Statement
This body of work combines prismatic colors and anonymized perspectives to explore the dichotomous joy and fear of life marching on during the government crackdown. These pieces draw a public viewer in to life as a resident of the city over the first year of the administration.
The endless stream of new and intriguing shapes and colors in the everyday scenes of Boston serves as an inspiration for my art. My work utilizes brightly colored underpainting and high contrast to stand in for both the lights and sounds of the city. This use of underpainting and contrast can best be seen in “Diner in Train Station.” Bright lights from the diner in the dark train station are depicted in part by allowing the bright pink underpainting to show between the dark paint layered on top. In “Diner in Train Station” two transit police officers chat as they walk by a diner serving dinner as the neon lights bounce off the floor and reflect off of a dark cluster commuters.
This body of work is continuing in its current form as the atmosphere continues to evolve. In progress works include a watercolor series, a plein air series, and a hockey game.