Brenda Delle

Brenda Delle is a native of Chattanooga, TN. After earning her degree in business from the University of Chattanooga, she moved to the Washington, D.C. area where she taught school. When her family was transferred to the New Orleans area in 1970, it was the beginning of a love affair with the area and its culture. She considers herself “almost a native”. She enjoys painting all types of animals, people and scenes from the French Quarter and surrounding areas.Her work is done in soft pastels or in colorful pen and ink drawings on programs from the Fair Grounds Race Track.

The artist has studied color and design, life drawing, and watercolor at the New Orleans Academy of Fine Arts. She continues do attend life drawing studios at the Academy. She has also studied with the following internationally known artists/teachers: Pastellists –Doug Dawson, Leslie DeMille, Alan Flattmann, Kitty Wallis, Urania Christie Tarbet, Anatoly Devron, Joyce Nagel, and Christina Debarry. Watercolorists--Jeanne Dobie and Milford Zornes, Portraits—Auseklis Ozols, Carole Peebles and Robert Maniscalco. In 2005, she completed three years of study in William Arthur Herring’s Master Classes in Cloudcroft, New Mexico. Her main goal is to continue growing as an artist.

In 1996 she was juried into the Degas Pastel Society. She is an officer of the New Orleans Art Association and a charter member of the Jefferson Art Guild.

 

Artist Statement:

Beginning in late November, horse racing in New Orleans is an exciting study of the thoroughbreds and the people surrounding them.  From the time the bugle sounds announcing a race is about to begin, the excitement builds.  It is into the paddock, tattoo check, warm up time, and the call for riders up.

The horses leave the paddock and proceed to the starting gate.  Will they cooperate and enter the gate?  When horses and riders are in place, the gates swing wide open and they're off.  The race is on!  Excitement builds in the clubhouse and the stands as they race for the finish line.  Have you bet on a winner today?  Only time will tell.

My work strives to capture the excitement of the racing scene and show the love between the people and other animals surrounding the magnificent thoroughbreds.  It is done in colorful inks on racing programs and on sanded surfaces in soft pastels.  The scenes are created from gesture drawings and photographs done at the Fair Grounds Race Track in New Orleans.