Making Space in Painting, Virtual Reality & In a City: Arden Bendler Browning
Caitlin Correa, October 29, 2021
Philadelphia based artist Arden Bendler Browning makes large abstract paintings, small works on paper and panel, and virtual reality environments. Her work contemplates perception of landscapes affected by digital imagery, the flow of time throughout many moments and distractions, and the contemporary desire to capture many possible perspectives and directions at once. Intense, vibrant color, sweeping gestures, and areas of finer detail always show evidence of the artist’s hand – even in the digital VR spaces. Her work is a direct response to her environments – whether it is her urban home base, weeks-long family road trips, documenting urban change, or seasonal changes during family hikes. She takes cues from a wide range of artists, but with clear ties to Abstract Expressionists, time based work, Impressionist landscape, and many contemporary artists who engage with multifaceted and immersive spaces.
Her works are included in the West Collection, the Pennsylvania Convention Center, Philadelphia International Airport, Toyota collection, Dream Hotel Nashville and more. She is represented by Bridgette Mayer Gallery, Galleri Urbane, and Tinney Contemporary. Exhibitions include the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Weatherspoon Art Museum, James A. Michener Museum, and Pennsylvania State University. She holds a BFA from Carnegie Mellon University (1997), an MSA from Sydney College of the Arts (2000), and an MFA from Tyler School of Art (2003). Upcoming shows in 2021 include a solo show at Tinney Contemporary in Nashville and a group show at the Delaware Contemporary and Katzen Art Center at American University in Washington, DC.
Arden is a mother to three daughters: 15 year old twins and a 6 year old. Though her teens attend a small Montessori high school, Arden has supervised a homeschool education for all three daughters since her teens were school age. Their family follows a self-directed learning path. Arden’s husband Matt Browning is a creative tech programmer and assists the development of Arden’s VR work.