Benediction Mildred Bryant Brooks, ca. 1938
(Above: An etching, Spring, 1932, by Mildred Bryant Brooks; her work explored the beautiful forms found in nature and their relationship to human development.)
By Randi Bjornstad
Hers may not be a household name, but Mildred Bryant Brooks was a creator of exquisite etchings and prints that deserve as much praise as that bestowed on many others who may be more widely known.
Born in 1901 in Missouri, Brooks grew up in southern California, where she began to study etching at age 19 and continued to hone that art for more than three decades, before deteriorating eyesight forced her to switch to interior design and painting. She died in 1995.
The artist, Mildred Bryant Brooks, at work
The Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art at the University of Oregon offers an online exhibit of her work titled Mildred Bryant Brooks: The Art of Etching, featuring many of her prints that explore the relationship between nature, art, and humans, including exquisite and finely rendered prints of clouds, trees, ocean, dunes, and their juxtaposition with human habitation.
The works in the JSMA show come from the museum’s permanent collection and reflect Brooks’ career as an artist and educator primarily in the first half of the 20th century.
The artist honed her talent and skills through her education at the University of Southern California and the Otis College of Art and Design, as well as the Stickney and Chouinard art institutes. She served eight terms as president of the California Society of Etchers and won many national and international awards for her work.
Mildred Bryant Brooks: The Art of Etching is on view on the JSMA website at jsma.uoregon.edu/MildredBryantBrooks.
An unusual urban etching by Mildred Bryant Brooks depicts the privations of the Great Depression.
