bj Briner - Artist Statement

For me, the primary purpose of drawing is basically functional. It is a means of asking very real and probing questions about form, proportions, line, darks and lights as they define and describe an object or thought. When I put the answer down on a piece of paper I have a drawing. The quality of the work depends solely on the depth of my questions and the truthfulness of my answers. The insidious element, which can confuse and obscure this private dialog, takes the form of a preoccupation with what the whole thing is going to look like when I’m finished. The act of drawing must be a conversation with myself, which elevates the work to a more meaningful and less self-conscious attitude and approach.
I’m curious. I use line to define the form. I use pencil and brush to build the form. The two are thoroughly integrated and interdependent in real form. To remain meaningful in my intentions I carry my curiosity and energy through the layers of style, mannerisms, techniques and use of color that defines my original investigation.
Keeping my work an honest reflection of the high desert plateaus, panoramas and vistas that surround me is my challenge. I nuance these surroundings in shades and hues of oil pigment on paper and transform flowers, canyons and stars into elements that are as bold as the earth and sky themselves.