Center Stage Celebration

Bren Bataclan is a Boston-based artist. He was born in the Philippines and grew up in Daly City/Bay Area, CA. Prior to becoming a full time artist, Bren taught design and computer animation at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and the Boston Museum School. 

In the early 2000s, Bren began giving away paintings in public spaces with a note saying, "This painting is yours if you promise to smile at random people more often." Since then, he has given away over 3,000 paintings in close to 80 different countries and to all 50 states in the U.S. 

The cartoon-like characters Bren draws are inspired by his days watching "Giant Robot" anime shows when he was a kid in Manila. The color scheme he uses for his acrylic-based paintings is what he used to see growing up in a tropical, festive and vibrant country.

Bren has exhibited his work across the country. Heinemann Press also published an elementary school textbook entitled, "The Smile Artist," about his artwork.