Photographer: Rebecca Roberts Artwork images courtesy of Coupralux

Brenda Bogart is a mixed media collage artist based in Dallas, TX. Her studio is chock full of boxes of found and collected objects from literally everywhere. She has rescued treasures out of muddy puddles, amassed countless objects on long walks with her husband and dogs, and collected hand- made papers from artisans all over the world.

Brenda’s favorite haunt is in Paris where she finds hand-lettered antique documents and paper ephemera. She defines collaging as “painting with paper” and coaxes this chaotic medium into intriguing works of art using her distinct style of color, pattern, and texture. Brenda holds a degree in Interior Design from TCU and studied painting and drawing at SMU extensively under Mary Vernon and Barnaby Fitzgerald.

For her solo debut at ANFA, Brenda created a brand new collection of pieces that honor Charlotte aka Queen City, lovingly entitled THE QUEENS’ GARDEN. Two Trees of Life on large wooden panels are flocked with a plethora of playful birds, chipmunks, and squirrels which dance among the branches of these stately arbors.

Presiding over the collection are Willow and Magnolia, two life-size Garden Queens frocked in an impressive array of local flora. The underlying composition of each queen is collaged from French, hand-lettered documents from the 18th and 19th centuries.

Set against a backdrop of the palest pink, a flurry of hummingbirds hover around Garden Queen Willow, whose gown is burst- ing with a bevies of blossoms. Hidden amongst the layers of her floral skirt, groups of tiny fairy children float on a leaf-hewn boat, swing from a flower stem, and dance gleefully on the petals. You can almost hear them laughing and singing with the joy of Spring!

Garden Queen Magnolia is re- gal, set against a stunning blue floral background. Her hoops of leaves and corset of stems fas- ten her ornate dress in an airy, breathless fashion. The flora of her gown has attracted an array of ladybugs and butterflies.

Anne Neilson Fine Art (ANFA) is proud to announce world-re- nowned mixed media artist, Brenda Bogart, to the gallery’s roster with her debut solo exhi- bition, THE QUEENS’ GARDEN in Charlotte, NC this spring.

Owls, wrens, cardinals, raccoons, Eastern chipmunks, squirrels— all inhabitants of the North Carolina for- ests— complete the collection, with the crowning jewels of a peacock and a red fox which adorn the gallery walls. Who doesn’t love a story set in an enchanted forest?

From Highlands to Mocksville, Brenda has spent time wandering all over North Carolina. With a spirit closely tied to nature, she has been deeply inspired to translate whispers of woodland creatures into remark- able mixed media collage, as varied and vibrant as each wooded glen. Even her personal residence in Dallas is uniquely situated overlooking a large park that is a nat- ural habitat for many of the animals, birds, flowers, and trees found in this collection— especially the owls, car- dinals, and raccoons!

orn with a heart to serve, Brenda is incredibly ac- tive in her community through art-centric philanthro- py. During the pandemic, she has helped raise just over $60,500 towards the $100,000 goal for the North Tex- as Food bank through sales of her artwork. In addition, half of the net proceeds from the sale of her beautiful coffee table book, What to Give Up for Lent That’s Not Chocolate, will also be donated to Feeding America. Her community-focused passion is a perfect ideologi- cal union with Anne Neilson Fine Art, whose mission is to be a lighthouse in our community and to give back through art. Each month, ANFA donates 10% proceeds from art sales to a different local/ region charitable or- ganization serving those in need. In honor of Brenda’s commitment to ameliorating food insecurity and home- lessness, ANFA will be supporting The Harvest Center of Charlotte in March, 2022— making an impactful dif- ference in the lives of real people with real needs.