Dallas County
Mixed Media
“Hunter/Gatherer” might best describe Bradford Brackin’s approach to her artistic style. When she described her art, Bradford said “I hunt and search for materials to incorporate into my work constantly – leaves, oyster shells, feathers, fungi, sticks, dried insect wings, tree branches, mussels, etc.”
Creations, usually inspired by a color and a sudden feeling, begin with “I’ve got to get rolling…and I usually move pretty fast,” she said. Acrylics, chalk, texturizing mediums, gels, wax, sand, gesso, resin, and caulk are her mediums of choice. All of her materials come from “nature, nature, nature! Beach, yard, hiking trails, grill of cars, whenever I am walking. Can never stop looking for the next cool thing in nature.”
Bradford’s inspiration is/was received from: her mother’s garden designs, interior decorating and oil paintings; her sister, a professional photographer; and her grandfather who was a graphic designer; and from a natural curiosity from nature itself.
“Finding items in nature and collecting them in a bowl until the moment when it all comes together for me, and I suddenly know how all of these odd-ball items fit together” she said, are what gives her the most rewarding and enjoyable aspects of her creative process. She also stated that “another favorite moment is when I add the final touches to a piece, resin or glaze it, and wake up the next morning and I rush to see how it turned out – reminds me a bit of Christmas morning!”