Last month, Brenda Benson hung this beautiful, evocative painting in the gallery. It's surprising in its content but it also surprised us because it is such a departure from the folded and cut paper work that we have come to associate with Brenda.
So we asked her about the painting. As it turns out, Brenda completed this painting a number of years ago while working on her Masters Degree. Inspired by the Steampunk Festival in Hannibal a few weeks ago, she "reworked" the painting, adding some elements that are iconic to the steampunk asthetic.
This "reworking" of artwork is not unusual. As skills and interests change, artists may refresh a piece of work that they had previously considered fininshed. They might pull out a piece that never seemed quite right and find a way to improve upon the original work.
We can draw a parallel with how we tend to "rework" or "refresh" ourselves when we feel a need for change and renewal. And maybe, just maybe, many pieces of art, just like ourselves, are never really "done" but rather, always changing, always growing, always evolving, always works in progress.
