Opening Reception: Andrea Brewster – Field Notes

Opening Reception: Saturday, May 18, 3 – 5 pm
Gallery Hours: Fri + Sat, 12 – 5 pm (and by appointment)

Over the past few decades, digital tools have evolved to create visually captivating renditions of reality; this trend being driven most recently by the rapid advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) technology. In her latest digital collages, “Field Notes,” Andrea Brewster utilizes these tools to diverge from this glossy portrayal of reality. By blending scientific imagery with expressionistic elements, she aims to uncover a deeper essence; challenging the certainty of our sensory perceptions and delving into the core of what makes us human. Brewster’s artwork references scientific botanicals and field notes, featuring illegible scrawl, energetic bursts of line, random fragments of color, and enigmatic photographs. These idiosyncratic bits and fragments prompt the viewer to examine whether the conventional way we understand the world—through sensory input and the brain’s processing—is limited. In these works, Brewster asks the viewer to confront the possibility of something mysterious and boundless, evading the grasp of our senses, and awaiting further discovery.

Andrea Brewster graduated cum laude with a BA in Sculpture from Pomona College, Claremont, CA, and obtained her MFA from the San Francisco Art Institute in New Genres. In 1993 she received a NationalEndowment for the Arts grant for Works on Paper. She has exhibited her work throughout the San Francisco Bay Area, including solo shows at Mercury 20, The Lab, and Southern Exposure, and in group shows at Chandra Cerrito Contemporary, The Oakland Museum, New Langton Arts, and the Peninsula Museum. In 2017 her work was included in an international exhibition devoted to tatting, at the Lacis Museum of Lace and Textiles. In 2020 her work was included in the Headford Lace Project show, “The Space Between” in Galway, Ireland, and in 2021 in the Bi-Annual International Fiber Arts X exhibition in Sebastopol, CA. In 2022 she participated in the DoilyFree Zone International Symposium on Lace in Art and Design. She has been a member of Mercury 20 since February 2020.

Image: Andrea Brewster, Field Notes 7, 2024, digital collage 18″ x 24″, photo courtesy of the artist