Artist Profile - Michael Brennand-Wood

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Michael Brennand-Wood

Michael Brennand- Wood was born in the UK in 1952. He is a contemporary artist, he specializes in creating eccentric works of art and sculptures by the means of wood-work, embroidery lace, patterns, textiles and in recent times floral imagery, he created exuberant  pieces of art from exploring and evolving his own techniques merging textiles and other media in ingenious ways.  Michael’s work is distinctive because he has persisted in the amalgamation of modern and historical origin, in particular the evaluation of dimensional line, structure and pattern.

 His latest, traditional compositions of floral imagery applied the use of computerised machine embroidery, acrylic paint, wood, glass and collage, he studied the use of illusion of dimensions, using about two or three to create colourful, metrical, algebraic and holographic sensations, with the precise detail that morphs into optical illusions. Brennand-Wood’s sculptures are very abstract, and he tends to play with colour and rhythm that’s seems also hallucinogenic, that the pattern creates another appearance, “ stepping into another world’ as Michael quoted. However the meaning of the piece, is that it’s not just a magical piece of delusion it is something you think about and reflect upon. He is a renowned  for his innovative and original ideas, and is one of the most inspiring and creative artists that works in textiles. He believes that his art offers traditionality, mixed ethnic influences, non mainstream work, and that the most inventive contemporary textiles derive from a certain understanding of both textiles and their history. What makes Michael Brennand-Woods masterpieces so intriguing is that the eccentric bright colours and patterns hold a much more philosophical and deeper meaning, pattern is important as they convey emotions and identity as it is an encoded visual language. When he creates his sculptures he always keeps in mind the sense of touch, as he like to convey the moral of the compositions through touch.

The meaning of Michael’s artwork is essential, he likes the interchange between the fine details and the big picture, from far away it looks solely decorative, but as you look deeper you establish the miniscule details and you instantly perceive it differently. He chooses his titles to his art very seriously as they are clues behind the true meaning of the piece, the nature of the materials are significant as well, as they also hold clues and convey meanings as well, materials communicate personalities, they hold information about culture and memories, they are a tactile record of experiences  that initiates sensory reactions. Michael quoted ‘ Artists should be responsive to the inherent qualities of materials and use accordingly’, which is the mark of a true artist who understands every aspect of his work and use that to his advantage.

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Michael has many notorious paintings and sculptures that can be seen in many worldwide galleries and museums, including the Victoria and Albert Museum, The 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, etc. He has won many prestigious awards for his highly achieving compositions, such as The Creative Concept award in 1987 and The Fine Art award in 1989.

Additionally, Michael Brennand-Wood is also a Wood visual artist, curator, lecturer and arts consultant as well, he has curated exhibitions including the infamous Fabric and Form, and co curated the Makers Eye. Until 1989 he was a senior lecturer in the department ...

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