About the Artist
Specializing in Commissioned Artwork of People, Places, and Treasures
Biography
Brenda Hash was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and studied at Louisiana State University where she received a Master’s Degree in Computer Science specializing in Computer Graphics. Her first career as a software engineer landed her in Houston, Texas where she worked for Shell Oil Company for nine years developing 3D visualization software, a field which combined her love of the visual with her interest in technology.
This experience laid the foundation for Ms Hash to return to a pursuit of fine art after the birth of her first son. Her portraits and still lifes in pastel and oil reflect her engineering background, displaying her keen attention to detail while maintaining sensitivity in the way she portrays her subjects.
Ms Hash has won international awards for her beautiful portraits and still life compositions. A recent commissioned portrait was unveiled at Baylor University. It is a portrait of the late Dr. Gordon K. Teal, the namesake for Teal Residential College where it hangs in the building’s entry. Her work has also hung in the National Arts Club in New York, the Salmagundi Club in New York, the Butler Institute of American Art in Ohio, and galleries around the greater Houston area. She was a juried participant in the Women Painting Women – Texas Exhibition and her work has been published in International Artist Magazine, Pastel Journal, The Art of the Portrait Journal and Fine Art Connoisseur.
Ms Hash is a Signature Member of the Pastel Society of America (New York), a contributing member of the Portrait Society of America (International), and a member of the International Association of Pastel Societies (International).
Artist Statement
To create a composition that is inspirational or to depict the whole of a client’s life in a single portrait is a challenge I find immensely enjoyable, yet entirely humbling. Each new commission brings with it the pleasure of meeting new people with varied interests and experiences. It is a great honor to be accepted into their lives, to spend time with their children, to talk with them about their dreams for the future and their love or admiration for the person to be honored in the painting.
A recurring event I have witnessed with my clients explains what I love most about painting; A mother arrives to review her child’s portrait. She enters the studio and upon seeing the painting tears form in her eyes as she says, “Yes, that’s my child.” This single moment is better than any ribbon won at the most prestigious art show. To be able to touch the heart of another person to that depth of emotion is why I paint.
– Brenda Hash, PSA
