About

Petrisse Briel

Marblehead, MA

Bio

Petrisse is a self-taught, self-made artist. She was born with an innate curiosity about how things are made. Her mother would often find her taking apart a toy because she "had to know how it worked." While she grew up in a home filled with music and an appreciation for art, she found herself living on her own at 14 in New Hampshire.

At 17, she moved to Boston where she performed her own music in local clubs. Seeking a different form of expression, Petrisse taught herself the art of photography. She built a highly successful commercial photography studio and became a member of Getty Images Worldwide.

After the industry turned digital and a cancer diagnosis, she discovered her true passion, sculpting. This led her to Marblehead where she opened Bang Tin Gallery in 1999.

There she expressed her unique vision in metal sculpture and oil painting. A lifetime of re-invention and finding her own way informs her art where she finds beauty, whimsy, and simplicity in the ordinary.

In 2017 Petrisse downsized and now makes art and music in a smaller studio by the sea.

"Whatever it takes." - PB

Statement

Nothing about my life has been traditional. I have been on my own since I was 14. I do not have a formal education beyond high school. Having had no permanent address, I was forced to live a nomadic life and make the best use of everything I owned.

One of the things that kept me alive was art, and my quest to find my truest form of expression.

I see beauty in the ordinary things, especially if they have a history. Everything has something to say and something to offer.

While song and music is most fundamental to my artistry, I explore my fascination with color through painting and photography, and my sense of humor and appreciation of old objects through sculpting.

My painting is primitive and entirely from my imagination but deeply rooted in my experience. I was born in New Hampshire surrounded by old barns and rolling meadows. I’ve spent most of my adult life near the ocean. I find the variations in the light and color of the water and sky endlessly inspiring.

Watching an image I made come alive in the dark room is as magical as transforming an old pair of pliers into a bird. Using found metal objects to create whimsical creatures is how I show my respect for the object’s history.

I’ve been told that the creativity just flows out of me. I don’t know if that is true, but what I do know is that I have devoted my entire life to art – creating it, enjoying it and sharing it. Ultimately, it is the sheer joy of it that feeds me.