BRENDA FERRIMANI

About Dream Artist, Brenda Ferrimani
I began my artistic work in the 1980's as a graphic designer, operating my own design firm with clients throughout the state of Colorado, where I reside. During this time I also became known in the area for the historic murals I painted with private and public commissions, and for my work as President of the Berthoud Arts and Humanities Alliance, lending my support to other Colorado artists.

Preferring a new direction from commercial expression, I have recently begun to devote my talents to subjects with personal meaning, and my artistic work now reflects a passion for inner examination. Dream images have captivated my imagination and provide an unending source of inspiration for my paintings. It is my desire to express the mystery of the psyche's inner world and the power of dreams to impact and change our lives.

In the year 2000, I was invited to be the attending artist to the International Conference on the Fantastic in the Arts, held in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, and in 2001 my work was included in the art exhibit, "Dream Odysseys," at the Porter Gallery, UC Santa Cruz, and featured in a presentation at the annual ASD conference. In 2007 my painting "Fall Into Fear" was awarded a Nancy Richter Briezki Dream Art Award, at the IASD's conference at Sonoma University, CA. My articles and artwork are regularly published in Dream Network, and DreamTime magazines.

I am certified for professional dream work through the Marin Institute of CA

Why Do I Paint Dreams?

Many people, when touring my gallery ask, "How did you start painting dreams?" So I'd like to briefly explain why and how I began painting dreams and how that work is evolving.

My interest in dreams began several years ago with my own experience, when night after night I was haunted by the same dreams. I had many different flying dreams which would always end with my being forced down, usually by people catching me, or by storms or even gravity's pull. In the dreams I felt that my very life depended on being able to sustain flight.

I did a series of sketches on this theme, caught up in this mystery constantly saying to myself, "I know this means something!" This led to reading about dreams and eventually finding the dream community. Now, I have come to realize that these dreams came to me as a warning that a lack of opportunity for creative expression was killing me! I had a creative spirit that needed to be set free! This was the beginning of my seeking a professional career in commercial art which I also eventually found to be unfulfilling. There after, I left my graphic design business and focused completely on painting my dreams. 

To me dreams provide an unending source of inspiration and a way to come to know myself very deeply. Painting dreams has become for me an intense form of dreamwork and as Jeremy Taylor calls any mindful, spiritual work, a "prayer practice." I let the dream's inspiration engulf me, and the images flow through me on to the canvas. It's a very mysterious and powerful experience. Quite often the subject matter of the dream will be echoed in my daily experiences, as though painting the dream makes it come alive in my waking life!

Brenda Frrimani, USA
www.brendaferrimanidreamart.com