Kristie Bretzke

Phone: 612-824-2990  |  email: kb@kristiebretzke.com

Home | Paintings | Sculpture | Artist Statement | Resume | Contact

I am fascinated by the lives of ordinary people. Through painting and sculpture I create simple, psychological portraits that tell stories and pose questions. My portraits usually begin as ideas with fun, odd twists that gradually take on somewhat serious undertones. Certain physical characteristics or eccentricities are exaggerated to better reflect the frailties that we often choose to hide.

My images are of friends family, strangers, and myself. Working both from life and from photographs, I begin by asking myself what is unusual or unique about this person? Are they humorous? Sophisticated? Do they have an interesting habit, behavior, or compulsion? What is their emotional state? I then add personal, quirky props to accentuate unique characteristics. These items take on hidden meaning and become symbols of power, prestige, insecurity, or simply humor. The image slowly evolves into my own creation, often no longer resembling the personality or physicality of the actual person. My work reflects people's insecurities, their passions, their politics or their vulnerabilities.

My portraits tell stories that relate to the common yet complex lives of ordinary people.

Kristie Bretzke, Artist  | Minneapolis, Minnesota  |  612-824-2990  |  kb@kristiebretzke.com