Note: This article appeared in 315. It is part of Artist Cafe 315.
Branwen Rhiannon Drew is a respected and admired figure in the Utica area arts community, both online and offline. Samples of her poetry are often shared with both members of the Utica Poets Society online group hosted on Facebook, and with in-person attendees of the every other Thursday Utica Poets Society open mic held at the Tramontane Cafe. But these samples are just glimpses of a long and varied arts practice.
“I do visual art in watercolor, mixed media, watercolor pencil, and scratch board. I also do sketching in ink or pencil. I recently have experimented with collages. I also write poetry in free form, haiku, and prose,” Drew said. “ I have been drawing or painting forever, I am seventy-three. I will try any medium at one time or another. I love doing watercolor in a loose and unrealistic style. I have been doing watercolor pencil for a couple of years and colored pencil off and on.”
Drew noted that her favorite medium to work in is scratchboard, a type of visual art in which images are created by scratching or carving pieces from a dark board to form images with the white colored surface underneath. Scratchboard has been a part of her art practice since 1982, when she first read an article about it in American Artist magazine.
Drew has taken a college-level art course in drawing, but the majority of her skills in the arts are self-taught.
“My earliest work I remember was when I was nine or ten and I did a pencil drawing of another kid in art class. I do know I did drawing and sketches since I was very young,” she explained.
Like many artists, Drew finds that her work centers around some favorite themes. In her visual arts practice, landscapes, wildlife, and fantasy are topics she returns to again and again. As of the writing of this article, her current visual work-in-progress was one she described as “a watercolor pencil and ink of three elephants from a photo taken by Judith Jerome, a friend who was on “safari” in the Serengeti.“
As one might expect from an artist who practices two distinct forms of art, Drew’s work can sometimes be multidisciplinary. Another work-in-progress this fall is a book of her poetry illustrated by pieces of her visual art. The project’s working title is “Aviary,” and focuses on Drew’s favorite birds.
“For my wildlife based art, I want to evoke the sense of the creature. In my landscapes, the feeling of the moment and the light is what I hope to get the audience to feel and experience.”
Her love of both wildlife and her passion for education through art can be seen in both her artwork and her formal education and other career. In addition to being a visual artist and poet, Drew is a research librarian with an undergraduate degree in wildlife biology.
Education is also the goal when Drew shifts her focus to another important theme in her art, that of her experiences as a transgender woman, and her advocacy for everyone in the LGBTQ+ community, particularly transgender youth. Her experiences as a transgender woman are often reflected in her poetry.
Drew’s passion for educating others through her art extends to teaching other artists by example. She reports that while she spent many years getting nervous about audience reaction to her art, she has come to a place where that has not been an issue for a long time.
“Do your art because you love it,” she said, urging other artists to immerse themselves in their art and focus on the process and the project rather than becoming caught up in thoughts of the reaction they imagine they will get.
“Don’t worry about your audience,” she said. “Practice, practice, practice. If a project isn’t working out, let the project go where it wants to go. Enjoy your time doing your art.”
Drew’s practice is similarly personal and woven into the fabric of her life.
“I do most of my visual art on weekends. I love to work “plein aire,” in the outside world when I am doing landscapes or cityscapes. I don’t have a regular routine.”
And while she works with the goal of educating and advocating for others, her personal goals are to simply do work she feels passionate about.
“My art appeals to people as individuals. If someone tells me about liking it, it is usually at a personal level. I do not expect to make a living doing my art,” she explained. “ I am happy to get a positive reaction, occasionally selling a piece. I do not do commissions so I am doing what I love and enjoy.”
For more information about Drew’s work in the arts, click on the links below to be taken to her online workspaces.
Poetry: https://branwenspoetry.substack.com/
Visual arts: https://pixels.com/profiles/branwen-drew
Newsletter: https://branwendrew.substack.com/
Homepage: https://branwendrew.substack.com/p/links?s=w
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Sincerely,
Jessica L. (Jess) Szabo
Novelist, Writing Teacher, Arts Writer