Brenda Zappitell with her paintings at Baker Sponder Gallery.
Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star
Brenda Hope Zappitell definitely knows how to color her world.
For this Delray Beach artist, no shade is off limits. Although the artist is drawn to tropical hues, her paintings reflect her intuitiveness and spontaneity.
They are abstract expressionist and bold — and showcase her passion. Many will be on display at the Boca Raton Museum of Art during her A Journey of Gestures exhibit July 25-Aug. 23.
This is her first solo museum exhibit, but the venue is one she’s quite fond of — her first art classes were at the museum’s art school. That experience, says the 51-year-old artist, provided an indispensable training ground during her early years.
“I had no background in art and at first it was a little scary, but the teachers were so encouraging. It gave me a lot of confidence to move forward,” says Zappitell, a mother of three. “It’s an interesting turn of events that I am having my first solo museum exhibition here. It is interesting to have it come full circle.”
She’ll tackle something new for the display — creating a painting just days before the show opens on a white wall about 107 inches high and 72 inches wide. “My intention is to paint the way I normally do. My paintings have many layers. I’ll start with a large gesture and go from there,” says Zappitell, whose works include ones hanging at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, the St. Regis New York and the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Tampa.
“What I am trying to convey with that work is that the process is truly what my work is about. Although it is great to have a beautiful painting to hang on a wall, what excites me is just doing the work. I hope that people will take away that idea, that the process of painting — or life —can be as valuable as the outcome; in some ways even more so.”
As for her unique creative process? “While growing up I danced. I continue to dance in my studio when I am working. It is probably a funny sight to see for pedestrians walking by my studio, which is on a busy thoroughfare.”
After the Boca Raton exhibit closes, she’ll be co-curating (with Cornell Curator Melanie Johanson) A Female Voice, a display of women’s artwork, at the Cornell Museum of Art in Delray Beach on Sept. 17-Nov. 15. She’ll also be teaching a three-day painting workshop at the Delray Beach Center for the Arts, Feb. 5-7.
— Linda Haase
Q. Where did you grow up and go to school? How do you think that has influenced you?
A. I grew up South Florida (in Miramar) and attended Florida State University where I attained a bachelor of social work and then attended the University of Miami for law school earning a juris doctor. My palette has always referenced the tropical colors of Florida and my mark-making oftentimes has a quality that seems similar to the palm fronds and long leaves of the South Florida flora.
Q. How/when did you become an artist?
A. After I began practicing as an attorney in 1990, I began taking classes at the Boca Raton Museum of Art School. I remember visiting a gallery in Mexico and looking at some very raw, child-like art. I thought to myself I really want to do that; when I returned from my trip I started taking classes. I was immediately hooked on the process of art making and would stay up late at night in a tiny room off my garage and paint. In 2009, I began my professional career by exhibiting in a gallery in Vail, Colo.
Q. What other careers have you had, what were the highlights?
A. I was a lawyer for about five years before having children and working in the home. My law career was confining and not really who I am. As a mother of three it was exciting to see the world through my children’s eyes.
Q. What advice do you have for a young person pursuing a career in the arts today?
A. It is very hard to make a living in the arts. I think that staying focused on pursuing your truth, not what you think others want from you is necessary; people resonate with work that is honest. Hard work is important, too. Also, you must market the work in whatever way you can, no one is going to knock on your door and offer you representation or want to purchase your work, no matter how good you are at what you do. So not only doing the work is important but also marketing your work is extremely valuable in your success as an artist.
Q. Tell us about your art.
A. I am an abstract expressionist painter. My work is mostly intuitive and comes from a deep emotional place within me. I paint with acrylics and added flashe into my work in 2015, which is vinyl paint. Most of my work is very large on wood panels or linen.
Q. How did you choose to make your home in Delray Beach?
A. When we moved back to South Florida after living in Santa Fe, New Mexico, for six years, my husband and I decided that Delray Beach was the type of community that appealed to us — a small, quaint, diverse and vibrant town near the beach.
Q. What music do you listen to when you need inspiration? When you want to relax?
A. I listen to all types of music in the studio for inspiration, including classical, new age, progressive, disco and top hits. It just depends on my mood, as I find music to be very helpful in my process. When I want to relax, I listen to meditation music or new age music.
Q. Do you have a favorite quote that inspires your decisions?
A. This is one of my favorite art quotes by an artist who has had a great deal of impact on my work: “Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.” (Picasso)
Q. Have you had mentors in your life? Individuals who have inspired your life decisions?
A. I have had many mentors in my life. I have several artist friends who I check in with when I am not sure about something. As far as major life decisions, including pursuing art as a career, I would consider my husband the one who has inspired me in many of those decisions.
Q. If your life story were made into a movie, who would you want to play you?
A. Wow, that is definitely not anything I have ever thought about. People have told me in the past I resemble Sandra Bullock, so I guess that could work.
Zappitell will host BOCA Talks at the Museum to discuss her work from 6 to 7 p.m. July 30. This event is free for museum members and $12 for the public. For details or to RSVP, contact Bari Arango at barango@bocamuseum.org or 392-2500, Ext. 213. Or visit zappitellstudio.com.
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