﷯ About Brenda Buffalin 
﷯ I have focused primarily on hands as my subject manner because I have found such fascination with the gestures that hands take on when a person is emotional. The hands are just as expressive as a face and are used continually to communicate a mood, a concept and much more. I prefer to create them the old fashioned way by modeling them with wax or clay. It allows me the control of my concept — which is much more than just a body casting process. I specialize in conceptual bronzes, kinetic interactive sculpture and sculpted portraiture. I work in bronze, aluminum, wood, alabaster, plastic, clay, cast resins and much more. I cast most of my bronze work with a lost wax process. I use clay or wax, to create the sculpture and then I finalize the piece as a wax positive. I create a mold that is either baked investment materials or covered in shell casting. The wax is then melted out of that mold. Then I pour molten metal into the cavity where the wax has melted out. The next step is to clean the metal after its cooled and remove all the mold material from its surface. I finish the pieces by grinding, polishing and adding a patina to my metal. I do all my own work and nothing is farmed out to a foundry. When I work in kinetic concepts, the ideas dictate the materials and from there I’m all over the place with production processes, which is half the challenge with kinetic work. When I do portraiture, I create the portrait in plasteline clay, and with about four sittings of the person I sculpt I am able to complete the portrait. I use the same process as mentioned above to cast the portraiture in a metal or plaster the client prefers it to be cast in. I have shown my sculpture work in Lake Arrowhead CA, Solvang, CA, Fullerton, CA, Palm Springs, CA, Elmira, NY. San Diego California and much more. My formal training came from Murray State University and University of California, Long Beach with a BFA in sculpture. I have been creating various types of art all of my life. I got my initial formal artistic training at Murray State University and California State University, Long Beach. When I graduated from the University of California, Long Beach with a BFA in sculpture, I began designing pewter giftware for a jeweler in Westwood Village, Los Angeles. I occasionally sold pen and ink drawings to gifts shops on the east coast as well as dog portraits. I showcased my initial work at a gallery in Solvang, CA and sold bronze portraiture to clients seeking my work. After that, I was continuously transferred all over the country because of my husbands job. So I elected to pursue a career in fashion purchasing and design since it allowed me to retain employment while I followed my husbands successful career. Later I worked as a handbag designer in Kansas City, Kansas and as a miniature ornament freelancer for Hallmark. In 1990 we moved back to Los Angeles and I started a career in desktop publishing by working for a magazine|book company. Later I continuously signed up for various fine art classes in various mediums and formats all over the country and also desktop publishing since it was only in its infancy and allowed me the same freedom sculpture does. It allows you to add and take away elements during the creative process . I never stopped trying to improve my skills. Once my son got too old for daycare, I started her own company, “BbGraphics | Bb’s Creative” and spent the next 30+ years running my small boutique graphic arts agency. I offered my clients concept-to-completion service where I focused on marketing, publishing, printing, photography, copywriting, web development and design. I provided top-notch design and production to meet the needs of large and small companies. I have always been a very self-motivated designer. So I am just now getting back to my true passion, sculpture. In the past I have designed ornaments for the company “Hallmark” for their miniature ornament line, in Kansas City, Kansas. I have designed pewter giftware for Kevitt Jewelers in Los Angeles and I have designed handbags for the company Mid Continent Imports and various clothing companies when I was a fashion buyer. I have a special person in my life, Paul, who has encouraged, supported and helped me with everything to push my art forward. He understands my soul and has always been there for me, I owe it to him to be able to pursue my passion in this time in my life. I have one son, Michael, who is just as entrepreneurial and independent as I am and lives in NY. I'm a grandma now, as my son has two adorable children, Eliana and Michael V. I have two dogs — Mork, a heinz 57 yorkie and Mindy, a teacup yorkie. They are both my “lovies” and keep me company all the time. I live in the Dell Webb senior community and love it for its natural woodsy beauty and for the many talented friends I have in the area. My studio is at home and I cast my metal at various foundries throughout Texas. Whenever I’m not working on my sculptures, I practice yoga, walking my dogs or traveling. I love to cook and entertain. I feel very blessed to be able to create art and share it with others. Community Involvement Brenda was the designer for all the collateral used in Winewomen in the Desert from 2006-2010, She was the Western Publication Association", Maggie judge over the creative category for 10 years, and she was winner of “Best Media Kit Maggie Award 2002. She was the designer of all the Palm Springs Museum Service Council collateral and newsletters from 2007-2010, She was an Honoree of 2001 Remarkable Business Woman Awards, and she designed all the collateral for National Association of Women Business Owners-OC RWA Events from 2001-2005. She was the designer for the collateral for the Black Chamber of Orange County from 2002-2005, Designer for all the conference collateral for the WomanSage Conferences in Orange County from 2002-2009, Designer for all the Invest In Yourself brochures and programs for the WISE® non-profit foundation from 2000-2005. She designed the WisePlace newsletters from 1999-2001. She Developed the logo for the “Disaster Preparedness” identity for Rancho Santa Margarita, CA. She was acting designer for Newport Library Foundation activities 2005-2008. She was the designer for the Women’s Business Conference held in 2004 at Newport Beach, Orange County, and was the Contributor of all design and production work for the Orange County Soccer League collateral. Brenda was the contributor of all design and production for the Rancho Santa Margarita’s All Star Little League, ... and much, much, more....Brenda believes in giving back.