Brenda G. Lawson

"Nature offers an abundance of inspirational subject matter and each time I approach a painting I try to capture that inspiration and the animals' personalities within the watercolor medium. I also feel [that] the Bucks County I came to fall in love with is quickly vanishing and feel a need to preserve what I can of this area through my paintings whether it be the farm animals or the farms themselves."
-Brenda Lawson

A former resident of Hilltown, Bucks County, painter Brenda Lawson is primarily self-taught. Lawson's dedication to the fine arts has evolved after many years of independent study. She has painted the rugged New England shore, the smooth marshlands of Nantucket, Massachusetts, and the tropical beauty of the Florida coast. She particularly likes the challenge of portraying animal life and is known for her colorful watercolors portraying neighboring Bucks County farms and farm animals.

Lawson is an artist member of the Salmagundi Club and the National Association of Women Artists in New York. She is also a member of the National Artists Equity Association and the National Museum of Women in the Arts. She has received many awards including the award for watercolor and oil at the Salmagundi Club and the Dr. Wu and Elsie Ject Key Award at the National Association of Women Artists, both in New York.

Education and Training:
Principally self-taught
Studied under watercolorist Kass Morin Freeman

Teachers and Influences:
Kass Morin Freeman, primary teacher; Howard Watson, color theory; Dominic DeStefano, dominant color use

Connection to Bucks County:
Brenda Lawson is known for her watercolors portraying neighboring Bucks County farm animals. She lived and painted the Bucks County farm scene for over 15 years, and is dedicated to the preservation of these farms through her painting.

Colleagues and Affiliations:
Edie Bristol, Frank Acori, Bob Richie, Christopher McCall
Doylestown Art League
Bucks Fever, 1994-1996

Major Group Exhibitions:
Woodmere Art Museum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1992
John Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, 1992
Hoawrd Manville Gallery, Kirkland, Washington, 1992
Bethlehem Musikfest 1993, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, 1993
Habitat for Humanity, Doylestown, Pennsylvania, 1993
Bianco Gallery, Buckingham, Pennsylvania, 1993, 1994, 1995
Philadelphia Sketch Club, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1993, 1995
Philip and Muriel Berman Museum, Ursinus College, Collegeville, Pennsylvania, 1994
National Association of Women Artists, 105th Annual Juried Exhibition, New York, New York, 1994
Salmagundi Club, New York, New York, 1994, 1995

Major Awards:
First Prize Watercolor, Pine Run Eleventh Annual Art Show, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, 1990
Binney & Smith Awards, Lehigh Art Alliance, Allentown and Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, 1991, 1992
Best Traditional Watercolor, Phillips' Mill Annual Art Exhibition, New Hope, Pennsylvania, 1992
Award for Watercolor, Salmagundi Club, New York, New York, 1994
Dr. Wu & Elsie Ject Key Award, National Association of Women Artists, New York, New York, 1994
Nature Award for Animal Subject, GNAL Wild Thing Show, 1994

Affiliations and Memberships:
Artist Member, Salmagundi Club, New York, New York
Artist Equity, Philadelphia Chapter
Doylestown Art League
Greater Norristown Art League
James A. Michener Art Museum
Lehigh Art Alliance
National Association of Women Artists, New York, New York
National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington D.C.
Oreland Art Center
Philadelphia Art Museum
The Woodmere Art Museum