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At the tender age of 21, when most people are looking into their futures, Oklahoma artist Tammy Brummell was diagnosed with Muscular Dystrophy; a muscle deteriorating disease that will someday stop her. But, luckily, she has a form of the disease that develops slowly, and she’s used the time she has well.
The graphic designer’s passion for art hasn’t diminished in the slightest way, in fact, she’s joining other celebrated artists for a showing at the well-regarded Istvan Gallery in Oklahoma City. She shares the showing with other esteemed artists; Nathan Lee, Clint Stone, Carlos Tello and Enrique Cordova. The gallery will open the show Friday, February 11 and continue showing the works until March 30.
Owner of Istvan Gallery, Stephen Kovash, says that viewing her work, nobody would ever guess that she suffers from such a debilitating disease. Each piece she produces is not just a labor of love, but one of pain, too.
Deconstruction of Photographs Helps Graphic Artist
Brummell takes pictures all the time, and then combines the photography with graphic design elements that create layered works. She loves vintage designs, vibrant colors and often employs fabrics and wallpapers in her art. She reconstructs photos, and then deconstructs them until she gets something that makes her happy.
Brummell stays positive, even while tied to her wheelchair for the last seven years. The visual arts community around her has given her recognition as an artist and the more she does, the more she wants to do. It gives her a sense of accomplishment and motivation to keep working. She finds others’ comments on her work moving and it encourages her along the way.
Brummell has participated and won awards by the Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition in their annual “12×12” art show and another show called, “Girlie Show,” that showcases female artists, and also the OK City-based American Choral Directors Association. They send her articles and she researches the information to create a design especially for them, and she’s created posters for several local bands. She’ll continue to work as long as her health allows her.
