Mixed-media artist Brenda Cirioni creates vibrant, sculptural paintings that explore the energy of nature and the joy of transformation. She has a deep appreciation for Maine, where she frequently visits family, and her creative connection to the natural world finds renewed inspiration. Her intuitive process begins without a plan—"I just start," she says. "If I keep going, the painting starts talking to me." Originally from Rhode Island, Brenda exhibited in the Wickford Art Festival at age eight and never stopped making art. A graduate of the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and its intensive Fifth Year program, she returned to painting after a period working in decorative arts and faux finishes. Now based in Massachusetts, she works from a warehouse studio surrounded by woodworkers and creative energy. Her current work merges abstraction, organic materials, and experimentation. Dried flowers, resin, chunks of paint, and clear acrylic sheets become dimensional landscapes or blooming fields—layered, textured, and alive. Influenced by artists like Joan Mitchell, Anselm Kiefer, and Van Gogh, Brenda embraces imperfection and chance. "I love to build," she says. "It’s like putting together a puzzle without the picture on the box." Her work has been exhibited nationally and is held in private collections around the world. She is deeply inspired by the natural world, her own resilience, and the thrill of seeing new forms emerge. For a deeper look into her process and inspiration, read When the Canvas Blooms: Inside the Joyful Instincts of Artist Brenda Cirioni. Hear more about Brenda's creative evolution, artistic influences, and the enduring joy of a life in art in her own words on Radio Maine.