Breonna McMahon Drake

Next Artist

ARTIST STATEMENT/BIO

“I am Breonna McMahon Drake. I grew up in West Liberty and now live here as an adult with my husband Kendall and dog Millie. I attended Carthage College in Kenosha, WI., in pursuit of a physics degree. Graduating in 2018 with a sociology degree and physics/math minors, I went into mental health case management.

During the pandemic, after the Kenosa riots, I decided it was time to return home. I now work at Integrated DNA Technologies in Coralville and enjoy being able to spend time with family and watch my nieces grow up.

After returning home, I was talking with my cousin Chris McMahon, who was working at the gallery at the time. He influenced me to begin volunteering at the gallery. Over the last few years, I have become a curator and assistant in planning, inventory and website upkeep. It has been wonderful to be able to connect with my community this way and help keep alive the beautiful space. I personally never thought I was very artistic. I was too much of a perfectionist to start something. I just decided I didn’t have a creative mind. Being surrounded by everyone’s amazing artwork inspired me, but it was meeting my zany friend Megan Lindeman and starting weekly art nights that got me into painting.

Painting is exploration of what I can do, a challenge to stretch myself, a test of patience. I don’t paint reality because my perfectionism gets in the way. Instead, I picture a vague idea and see where the paint takes me! It has been a wonderful journey to get into painting. I now tell people who say they aren’t creative, “you will hate your work 95% of the process, but if you keep working on it, it may not be what you wanted, but it will become something to be proud of.”

ON DISPLAY