Artist Spotlight: Brenda Semanick (deceased)

Brenda Semanick
‘Del Bac’ 16×8 oil on linen

During the last year, 2019 Brenda was juried into two museum shows: Full Sun: American Women Artists Illuminate the Haggin Museum, Haggin Museum, Stockton, California, and Looking West: An Exhibition Highlighting Works by American Women Artists, Steamboat Art Museum, Colorado; she also earned Signature Member status with the renowned American Women Artists.

As a painter, her work has been included in both national and local juried shows: Oil Painters of America, American Women Artists, National Oil and Acrylic Painters Society, Arts for the Parks, Mountain Oyster Show, the Empire 100 and the Arizona Biennial. For twenty-five years her paintings were featured on the annual Tucson Arizona Winter Chamber Music Festival for twenty-five years (Leo Rich Theatre permanent exhibit).

As a commissioned public artist Brenda learned she could do anything with a creative open mind. Several of her projects include: Grijalva Park; Hohokam Lizards (Bridge Pier, Wrightstown and Tanque Verde), featuring three six foot long sculptured lizards; Tucson Historic Street Plaques, embedded in sidewalks throughout downtown Tucson; and as the commissioned artist for the Luis Gutierrez Bridge, aka the Cushing Street Bridge (ends near the Mercado in Menlo Park), and named by Roads and Bridges magazine as one of America’s Top Ten Bridges in America.

Collections include the Tucson Museum of Art, the University of Arizona, the City of Tucson, the City of Phoenix, Sky Harbor Airport, Tucson Airport Authority, Northwest Medical Center, Sonoma State College and the National Bank of Arizona.

Artist’s Statement regarding ‘Del Bac’:
Established over three hundred years ago by Father Eusibio Kino, the mission at San Xavier del Bac continues to stand as homage to a humble Jesuit priest who had a determined vision and gave so much to his community, and the world. The “del Bac” part of the mission’s name, is from the native people Father Kino worked with, the Tohono O’odham, and it means “place where water appears”.