TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Live paintings at weddings have taken social media by storm, and there’s a talented artist on the Eastside who specializes in capturing that special day with charcoal.
But, it’s the meaning behind her work that colors the lives around her.
Bronwyn Dierssen struggled a lot with her health when she was pregnant with her daughter and was constantly having to stay in bed and go in and out of hospitals. She tells KGUN9 she was looking for an escape and something to help get her mind off of her health issues.
“I needed something besides Netflix that would fully capture my thought process and get me away from that situation," she said. "So I brought out a sketchbook, just started doing little sketches and found myself totally lost.... three, five hours passed and I was like wow I hadn't been stressed out, I wasn't thinking about what was going on with me and the baby."
Dierssen focuses on charcoal and oil portraits exploring things like health, identity and emotion from a variety of cultural backgrounds. Her favorite part about doing live work is people get to watch and learn from her.
“For me being able to draw or paint allows my brain fully shut off and it's just me in the moment trying to work through whatever stage I am on that with a drawing," she said.
After a scary accident at a trampoline park a few years ago, she shares with KGUN9 the impact that art had on her recovery.
“Having the art to fall back on and having something to really push me through the hard times was absolutely paramount to getting through that time," said Dierssen.
Dierssen recently did a wedding where she painted live portraits of each guest to make a guest book for the bride and groom— each portrait taking her around 15 minutes.
For more information on Dierssen's live work, visit her website.
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Brooke Chau is a reporter for KGUN 9. She was a part of Fresno State's newscast, Fresno State Focus and interned at KFSN-ABC30 in Fresno, CA before coming to KGUN 9. Share your story ideas and important issues with Brooke by emailing brooke.chau@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
