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Ronni Brashear

Romanticization of Alcohol

As a figurative painter, my works encourage thoughtfulness about the corruption of the materialistic world. My goal is to create work that explores popular culture and behavior yet reflects hope for humanity. Using oil paints, I insert figures and religious symbols together to form a false reality. These fictional characters placed in real locations is not only confusing but inaccurate regarding proportions, scale, light, and shadows. Much like romanticizing habits that are harmful but covered up to look attractive. From there, I allow solutions in the painting to present itself. The surreal and blotchy painting style is a result of the collaging process. I choose to use muted colors as a form of rejection of consumer culture since bright and flashy colors tend to grab attention. My unfinished and smeared paint strokes add both energy and uncertainty, asking the viewer to examine the work further. My current work questions the overindulgence of alcoholic beverages and how activities in the drinking community may affect our overall wellbeing. Through my paintings, I will subvert and critique the romanticization of alcohol in popular culture.

Ronni Brashear signature

Thesis committee members 

Professor Joseph Morzuch, Chair

Professor Lori Neuenfeldt

Professor Ming Hong

Sinner's Prayer

Two screaming faces with facial features extending from them. One large arm reaching from bottom to top of the picture plane holding a snake and resisting being hit by the muscular figure above. The manly figure has his relaxed hand covering the face of a dove that is about to be bitten by a snake. A sunflower is being burned by a match. Prayer beads, olive branches, and poison ivy weave between the figures.
Battling your demons and self destruction. Symbols of both hope and despair. A dove, olive branches, and prayer beads represent hope. Snakes, poison ivy, and screaming faces represent destruction and demonic characters. Oil on panel, 26x21.5in. $800
Relaxed hand covers head of dove.

Taking Advantage

There are two young men and two young women immodestly dressed. Men are gripping onto the women’s torso and legs while women are trying to move away. The two women are wearing name brand clothing such as Victoria Secret’s Pink bra and panties and Nike tennis shoes. A young man has a large cross tattoo on his upper arm. The scene is set in a large field at sunset. There are shrubs and trees in the distance. There are two horses. A brown horse is carrying one couple while the white is jumping behind them. A small grey angel cat is riding on the horse. A long red fabric material drapes around the horses and couples throughout the painting. There is a phone in the top left corner showing the dating app “Tinder” on the screen. Cigarettes are falling out of the package onto the young girl on the horse. There is a crushed beer can, Wendy’s fast-food bag, and Louis Vuitton purse on the ground.
Modern version of “The Rape of the Daughters of Leucippus” by Peter Paul Rubens. The connection between drinking too much alcohol and rape of young adults. Oil on panel, 39x68in $3000

Reflect

Girl is faced down on the ground with both hands pointing upward. Barren trees in the background. Shrubs behind her feet. Seems to be late at night.
Girl faces down on ground in the dark. She could be there by choice or fell into this space. Oil on panel, 48x72in. $700
Prayer hands facing towards the sky.

Heating Up

Women laying on a medical bed getting an ultrasound by a nurse. A red solo cup is between pregnant woman’s legs. The nurse is pointing to the ultrasound screen behind the laying woman’s head. The bed has a floral design that also fades into the background of the painting. Two young men are playing beer pong in front of the bed. They are wearing medical equipment. A facemask, hairnet, and a stethoscope. The beer pong table is covered in eaten pizza and cupcakes. The woman is holding an olive branch in between her fingers and there is another olive branch under her feet.
This piece describes a potential consequence of overindulging in alcohol. Lowering your ambitions which can turn into a mistake in one moment. An influenced decision that can change your life forever. Oil on panel, 30x40in. 
Muffin wrappers on cupcake holder. Hand holding onto olive branch.

Rebirth

Two figures are standing in the body of water at sunset. The figure to the right has his hand up to the sky in prayer. Catfish hanging on a hook in front of them. Deck in the foreground with ghostly appearance. He is swinging a buoy towards the two figures. A water moccasin is swimming towards the two figures. The water is calm. People are fishing in the far distance.
The idea is about being reborn into a new life in the same body of water that can also bring death. The fish represent Christ. The transparent figure symbolizes faith. He isn’t actually present but is casting out a buoy that represents salvation. So, it is up to the person in the water to decide which path he will take. Oil on panel, 36x48in. $1000
Catfish on hook

Fueling the Fire

A pallet bonfire is lit in the center of the painting. A man and a young child are jumping over the fire. A girl wearing jeans is bending over, ducking from the two figures. There is a knocked over stop sign pointing to the girl’s bottom. The row of people on the left are sitting and drinking. A yellow lab is sitting in the bottom right corner. Snakes are coming out of the fire. In the distance, a girl with a skirt on is hopping over the fence.
The bonfire hosts potential chaos for those who are present. The stop sign, snake, and empty shoes hint that something strange might happen. Oil on panel, 36x48in.
Large white flame from bonfire. Snake crawling around fire

Heavy Burden

A young female with brunette hair looks down at a weighing scale. A black raven covers the woman’s head. There is a white dove with its wings spread looking down at the woman’s feet and scale.
This painting is about the correlation between drinking too much and self-loathing. Oil on panel, 17x47in. $1000

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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