Sydney Brake

Self Portrait, 2021, pen and ink, 9 inches x 12 inches

2021 Senior Exhibition Artists

Sydney Brake

Art + Design: Illustration

About Sydney Brake

Sydney Brake is an illustrator born and raised in Massachusetts. She will graduate from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth with her BFA in illustration and her BA in psychology, and will be pursuing an MA in research psychology at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. In her work, Sydney explores the connections between art, science, and political psychology in the form of precise scientific renderings of plants and animals and political cartoons. She often draws inspiration from her concept of home and elements that surround her.

Statement

My thesis is an ode to the flora and fauna of New England, consisting mostly of botanical posters and scientific illustrations. This idea came about primarily from my external interest in drawing and photographing plants and animals but also from thinking about my concept of home. For myself, my idea of home is divided between many locations where I grew up, where my family and friends live, and where I rest my head at night. What I noticed that all of these places have in common is their general landscape, spanning from Massachusetts to Nova Scotia. All, or at least most, of the plants and animals that I see throughout this span of land is the same, just varying in abundance.

This collection was completed using pen and ink, watercolor, and silkscreen printmaking, with inspiration taken from John James Audubon, Thomas Bewick, and Franklin Booth. Throughout its creation, I learned much in terms of expression and simplification of my linework, as well as in the silkscreen process.

Looking into these ideas of home has brought me a sort of peace in these relentless times where I could not be with those who I hold close to me. I hope that my audience will be able to feel a similar connection to these pieces and a sense of comfort in the familiarity of the figures.