PARK RAPIDS — Phyllis Bramson said art wasn’t something that intrigued her while growing up. It just seemed like something that she could do.
With her parents' encouragement and a little room to work in, she found herself to be very good at art. So much so she started to get awards and was sent to a special camp for arts and science in Lawrence, Kansas.
Bramson’s art has a lot of different inspirations. Asian art was a big part of her life growing up. Her parents were very interested in it and had wallpaper in their dining room of an Asian landscape. There were other pieces of art around the house as well, including pieces that featured nudity. Her father was the lead decorator of the house.
“It was just a mishmash of this and that, combination of lots of things which I think reflects my work, too. You can't say it's just one thing or another. It's sort of a bunch of things all folded together,” Bramson said.
Another big inspiration for Bramson is Grimms’ Fairy Tales. A lot of her work has sly references to fairy tales or nursery rhymes.
As for her next projects, Bramson isn’t sure what they will be like. Currently her creativity isn’t flowing like it did before. It hasn’t been a pleasant experience.
“There's a wall that separates my studio from where I live. It's just a wall, and there's just a door, but I can spend all day not going through that door," she explained. " ... I say to myself, ‘Why haven't you gone through that door? What have you been doing all day?’ So that's something I'm trying to troubleshoot.”
She said she has made some progress, but it’s still a difficult process for an artist to go through.
Bramson currently has an exhibit at the Nemeth Art Center in Park Rapids called The Bliss of the Picturesque now through July 26. There are about 20 pieces in the exhibit that span about five to six years of work.
Bramson had not been to Northern Minnesota before but was very impressed with the Nemeth Art Center.
“It's a unique place driven by people that want to bring interesting art to the community, to engage the community and to engage children. ... The fact that they just got an Andy Warhol grant, that's huge. That's a big, big deal," she said.
Bramson said it’s been interesting revisiting her past work at exhibits like the one at the Nemeth Art Center. Sometimes she wonders how she created certain things, or she’s found a new appreciation for an old piece. However, she doesn’t necessarily find inspiration from them.
What boosts Bramson is seeing other people’s work.
“It's almost like a feeling of competition. Like, I like to see work that gets me upset because it's so good, and it's like a kick in the stomach,” she said. “It says to me ‘You better get into your studio and get going because look at this person's work.’”
Bramson sees herself as a sort of mechanic when she creates. She rolls up her sleeves and tries to figure out what’s wrong with the painting and how she can get it to move along.
She said one of her creative peaks was in the ’90s where she felt like she was on fire creatively. Today she feels her creativity is at a burning ember phase. However, she understands that that can be part of artists’ process.
She has seen people throughout the years who didn’t have the temperament to be an artist. To be an artist, people must be willing to keep going even if the ideas aren’t flowing or feel like their work hasn’t been noticed yet.
People can check out Bramson’s work and upcoming exhibits on her website or her Instagram.
“Just go see my journey," she said. " ... I would have never dreamed I'd be out on the top of Minnesota. That was never in my plan.”
Tell us about upcoming arts events where you live in Northern Minnesota by emailing psa@kaxe.org.
Area Voices is made possible by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund and the citizens of Minnesota.
