My portfolio showcases various series of paintings created throughout my career. My work tends to investigate our relationship with the natural world, with its creatures, with each other, and with ourselves. I make social commentary with a sprinkling of humor, a titch of nonsense, a dash of self-deprecation, and a pinch of bird droppings. See my contact information below and get in touch if you have any questions or if you’re interested in purchasing a painting or commissioning one.
Human/Nature
RutRetired StudsMobMating PairsManguanas Resting Before CompetitionThe Main AttractionJudgeInspectorCriticLekCockyPerformanceAppraiserMigrating Pairs
Artist’s Statement: The Human/Nature series began as a mashup of animal and human behavior, an exploration of mate seeking and the power of pheromones, visual cues, adornment, competition, attraction, and ritual. It was meant to be a romp into the clunky, awkward strangeness that occurs when humans and their animal kin hunt for a mate. However, as I delved deeper into the paintings and their meaning, I realized that what began as a playful exploration became a complex, confusing and emotional journey that I didn’t expect. Yes, humans are mammals and we behave in ways that mimic our wild kin, but human sexuality is far more complicated and evolves as our lives change and as we age. In addition, the “Me Too” movement revealed how many of us have been victimized by sexual violence. I am struck by the fact that humans are supposed to be of a higher consciousness than our animal kin but yet we sometimes don’t behave that way.
In this series, there are four very large, sensual women; I gave them complete control over their own bodies and sexuality by making their canvases much larger than the others. Their titles give them absolute authority to select with whom they share themselves.
The smaller canvases contain a mixture of activities and human/animal traits: intra-sexual selection where males compete with each other and put on elaborate displays for females, and inter-sexual selection where females choose their mate. There are also canvases representing those who are past the stage of attracting and selecting a mate and are focused on other things instead.
So while this series is humorous on the surface, the topic, of human sexuality, is a complex and sometimes emotionally loaded subject.
Tame your Marmots
The underfunded volunteer marmot training squad had curious ways of finding and taming feral marmots.She was running full speed from the darkness and didn’t see the lump in the trail.If the voice on the other end chucks and whistles, hang up.He was young, cool, and completely oblivious about the marmot on his shoulder and the poo running down his back.The girl could see the marmot clearly but her mother could not.It seemed a harmless act, to pat the marmot, but they soon found out otherwise.
Their deafening cheers were an unconscious attempt to quiet their suspicions that they were incorrect.The good souls who volunteer for the marmot relocation program; their work is never done.It took a lifetime, but they were wise to their marmot.Their foolishness was blindingly obvious to everyone but themselves.She temporarily had her marmot by the tail.The thinner her waist the heavier her marmot.The marmot had imprinted itself so deeply upon her psyche that it reappeared in her artwork whether she intended it or not.Her awakening was a sudden and forceful shove into reality.Once he removed his marmot-blocking lenses, his predicament became clear.The white marmots women’s society met every week but never considered the veracity or morality of their convictions.The secret society was not so secret after all.Everyone was shocked at the enormity of Melvin’s marmot.Her marmot demanded absolute perfection.With persistence and a firm hand she kept her marmots in order, at least for the moment.The privileges experienced by the members of the exclusive blue hat society far exceeded those of others.She remained silent while her man blindly drove them into a ditch.Poopski’s mendacity was notorious, but her human was clueless.To tame your marmots, you must first get their full attention.The marmots only half-heartedly acquiesced to her enthusiastic commands, but it was a start.He was ashamed to ride his marmot into town but he never showed it.He faced his marmot with grace, dignity, and the intention of fair play.The marmots were so persuasive that all those in attendance joined the Club.Beware of sneaky marmots little one.Out of her element, her marmots had her trapped between a rock and a hard place.They thought that a display of force and a line in the sand would stop the marmotIt was supposed to be a fun day at the lake until the marmots began screamingThese boys grew up convinced that bigger is better
Artist’s Statement: The Tame your Marmots series is a continuation of the earlier series, Exposing the Sneaky Marmot, where I explored the many versions of self-deception as witnessed through the behavior of the individual. In this new series, I continue to visit self-deception but also explore group deception, which is self-deception on steroids, amplified by the echo chambers in which we choose to participate.
We Want Our View and Eat It Too
Walking the CranesInterview with a CarnivoreAfternoon InstructionsDeer DreamsSleep in a WigwamDaily InstructionsHave Cape Will ConquerPropheticWhat I Did on Summer VacationPaparazziStreet FishingSo Free Me and My RVHoola Hoopin Western Theme ParkRVNVPlease Don’t Harass the HumansClean It UpInto the PinkThe HiveWilderness AdventureWe Want Our View Dancing Purple BearsParking Lot PaddlingBison Traffic JamRV Park Speed BumpThe ScreenRoadside AttractionsSeasonal MigrationSummer Camp
Artist’s statement:We Want Our View and Eat It Too explores how we as tourists interact with the natural world, especially when visiting National Parks and other beautiful places. These paintings investigate our relationship with the natural landscape, with it’s wild creatures, and with preserved historical places while questioning our ideas concerning fair use and conservation.
Domesticates
Birth OrderFamily ManagementRunning of the ErrandsSistersRed ShoesUnitedThreeBoy’s ClubThirty YearsBoundGirl’s ClubExecutive’s ClubInvisibleGlued and TattooedHaunted by BunniesAlmost JadedKid’s ClubFamily CircusDads are the most fun until someone loses a toeVictorian Flip Flop
Artist’s statement:Domesticates explores the influence of relationships, especially the close, domestic bonds of family and friends where the colors and patterns of our daily existence imprint themselves onto us, forming the person we become, the roles we play, and how we view the world.
Exposing the Sneaky Marmot
She Wondered How Long the Sneaky Marmot Would Make Her Keep This UpSneaky Marmots Start EarlyThe Sneaky Marmot Had Convinced Her that the World Was Like a Beach BallLining up the Sneaky MarmotsShe Believed That Her Backside Was Her Best AssetAgainst Her Will, She Was Beginning to Resemble the Sneaky MarmotBy All Appearances, He Had All His Sneaky Marmots in a RowShe Assumed She Was Prettier When She Pointed Her ToesHe Did Not Have the Power to Resist the Polka DotsHe was the Only One Who Couldn’t See that He’d Been Tricked by the Sneaky MarmotThey Mistakenly Believed that the Sneaky Marmot Was Going AwayOccasionally, The Sneaky Marmot Took Her for a RideSomebody Has to Do ItShe Imagined that Supersonic Bicycle Speed & a Pretty Dress Were All a Girl Really NeededMarmot ExtractionHe Had Under Dressed for the Occasion and the Sneaky Marmot Was to BlameHe Believed that He Could Convince the Marmot by Using His Finely Honed Skills of Logic and ArgumentationA Few of Them Were About to Discover that the Sneaky Marmot Had Led Them All Astray
Artist’s statement: Sometimes the beliefs we hold about the world or about ourselves don’t serve us well. False or misleading perceptions can, at best, lead us into harmless folly, or at worst, cause others and ourselves a lifetime of misery and heartache.
Exposing the Sneaky Marmot investigates many versions of self-deception. The presence of a trickster marmot throughout the series embodies the tendency to be misled by our perceptions and beliefs. These mindsets are formed in childhood and carried into adulthood where they often function below our conscious awareness.
I reference old photographs to allude to the temporal persistence of long-lasting familial mindsets and use the landscape as a setting to represent the wild terrain of our subconscious mind. These paintings are twisted versions of grown-up dramas that are humorous on the surface but sometimes dark and insidious underneath with far-reaching consequences.
Contact me to purchase a painting or talk about a commission.
Tammi Brazee 