Ever since her youth, Brenda Boylan has been a creative spirit. Painting and drawing began as fun hobbies when she was a child, but by the time she was twelve she was already being commissioned to create pieces for other people. Encouraged by this, Boylan enrolled at California Polytechnic State University, San Louis Obispo, where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Applied Art and Design. After she graduated, she began working as a graphic designer. Over the years she has also attended numerous artists’ workshops focusing on oil painting and pastel work.

After many years of experimentation with varied media, pastel has become Boylan’s favorite medium. When, after working commercially, she returned to her first love, painting, Boylan picked up pastels. “Pastels,” she explains, “permit me to get my fingers directly into the medium that I otherwise wouldn’t when using a paintbrush.” In a way that is close to both drawing and painting, she layers color upon color; this allows the viewer to experience new blends and interesting hues. “When I have created this interaction with my art, then my challenge has been met.”

Boylan’s artwork has been collected across the United States and internationally. She is an active member of the Northwest Pastel Society, Portland Plein Air and Studio Painters, and Beaverton Arts Commission while exhibiting and selling her art, which has earned numerous awards in group and juried exhibitions. She also volunteers to spread art literacy among young people in her community. Celebrated by her peers, Boylan has lectured on the art of pastel in addition to granting people private lessons. She has also been published in the book Best of America: Pastel Artists, Volume II.