User:Ruth Kolman Brophy

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[edit] RUTH KOLMAN BROPHY

An Austrian artist in California

Ruth Kolman Brophy [1], is an Austrian artist, living in California. After graduating from high school in Linz , Austria, she attended the University of Arts and Industrial Design Linz. She won a scholarship to the University of Oregon and also attended the art school at the Chicago Art Institute, Minneapolis College of Art and Design and the University of Minnesota. She worked as a graphic designer in Minneapolis and at the same time, began to establish herself as a fine artist in the Midwest. She participated in numerous shows, won awards, became a mentor to young women artists and an adjunct instructor at Hamline University in St. Paul, MN. From 1987 to 2005 she worked from her own studio in various locations in the warehouse districts of Minneapolis and St. Paul.

As a graphic designer she freelanced for Target Corporation, Marshall Field's and Fingerhut and created web sites for numerous clients.

She moved to Northern California in March 2005 and has since exhibited widely in the East Bay (San Francisco area) . Her work is currently on exhibit at the Valley Art Gallery in Walnut Creek, CA.

Artist statement: From my earliest days as a child growing up in Austria, I wanted to be an artist. I was fascinated with the art that surrounded me, from beautiful medieval paintings that I saw in museums, to the swirling interiors of Baroque and Rococo Churches, filled with angels and groups of figures rushing to the ceiling. Now when I look at my own work, the exuberance of color and the recurring groups of people remind me of those early artistic memories. Several themes appear in my work. The first is the mystery of relationships – between men and women, mothers and daughters, the self and the possible self. The second is that of the dream life – the earthly paradise, with tropical beaches and hidden archways where lovers embrace; wild oceans in the moonlight, a fragile place where hidden dangers threaten – and myth and life become one. I’m inspired by old postcards and new magazine images, by scarves and hankies from the 30’s, flowers and opera, and by all the flotsam of contemporary life.