Short Bio

Brenda Bullock, recipient of the royal photographic award, is an artist and photographer with a masters in fine art and a rich history of exhibitions. Previous works include Unheinlech, a look into the secret lives of rural Wales, as well as Traces, a collaborative project which explored the heritage of the Elan Valley dams. More recent exhibitions include "the space" between and the curating of Seat 45.

Unheinlech Images above

Ghosts

Icemen

Biography

Brenda Bullock graduated from the London College of Printing with a BA Honors' degree in media production design in [1982]. Brenda worked for several years in London in publishing houses as an in house book designer, which included Gaia books and Octopus books[2084]. Following a career break to start and raise a family Brenda updated her skills by working as a web designer and programmer in Mid Wales for a local company during which she did a HNC in computing at Coleg Powys, Newtown[2005].

Brenda then became interested in photography and in order to learn more she took a job working for Jessop's photography in Aberystwyth where she learned a great deal about digital photography and decided to take this to the next level and set up her own business "Raw-Photos" [2005-2010] concentrating initially on portraiture photography. Brenda applied for and was accepted at Aberystwyth university to do a Masters in fine art through the medium of photography. The MA project was in essence a way to explore the intriguing idea of alienation in all its occurrences. Brenda sought to uncover the stories that lie beneath the idyllic surface of our towns and villages, to meet and talk with people whose stories of alienation, anguish and isolation had been the fuel for this series of work. While completing her Masters Brenda submitted work to the Royal photographic society and was the winner of their [2010] bursary for her work. Brenda has also been lecturing in Llandrindod Wells and Brecon Colleges for three years teaching Digital Photography and photographing the hair and makeup shoots for the collage. Her work can be seen in Brecon college salons.

Brenda exhibited her work at Aberystwyth school of Art[2011-12], the Atkinson gallery [2011], the Wyeside gallery[2008], and the Burton gallery [2008]. Brenda then had a joint exhibition at the Rhayader museum and gallery under "Encompass" [2011]which was a collaboration of MA Artists.

Since completing her MA Brenda has been working projects exploring the theory that a trace, or an impression of thought can be more powerful than the original object, the subject from which those impressions are first drawn. The remnants’ of a ruined image for example often hold more interest, more provocation and power, than the original image could instill or evoke. She has developed this idea, to hone in on the notion that the photograph can be destructured into dust. The photograph, painting or sketch loses structure, but still contains its function with surviving marks, morphed icons and scars as evidence of the former existence. She explores the question, what happens to our understanding, when only a trace is left.