A Room Full of Art, in an Unlikely Place

It’s not really news that District 21 Assemblyman Jon Bramnick has his law office in downtown Scotch Plains. But what may be surprising to some is that above that office, his wife and daughter can often be found busy with work of their own.

Bramnick’s daughter, Abby, and his wife, Pat Brentano, have been using the space above his office as an art studio for four or five years now. The two split the space in half, but often meet in the middle to share ideas and inspiration.

Brentano has been an artist for years, serving as a professor at several area universities and as a speaker at art workshops across the country. She has also been the recipient of many awards, including the 2006 New Jersey State Council on the Arts fellowship.

Abby Bramnick is a recent graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design and is currently interning at two art galleries in Manhattan.

The bulk of Brentano’s work focuses on environmental issues, and inside the studio one will find renderings of trees, bees and birds all around the room. One of her latest works, entitled “Endangered Birds,” involves hanging a series of cutout images of birds facing extinction. The early parts of that project still remain in the studio, but the installation can currently be seen at I-Park, a 450-acre woodland retreat in East Haddam, Connecticut.

On Abby’s side of the room there are large paintings inspired by a woman’s struggle to balance what she thinks of her body with the capability of her mind. The series was Bramnick’s senior project at RISD.

While the two find their inspiration in different places—Brentano says she likes to educate others through her art, while Abby says she hopes to help people with it through an art therapy career—the two often bounce ideas off each other and offer feedback while working in the studio together.

“I’m like her studio mate,” Bramnick said.

“Which is helpful because she knows the language,” Brentano added.

The studio is very typical of an artist’s workspace. Unfinished projects and myriad of tools scatter the area.

“You step over to dad’s office and it’s so sterile,” Abby said with a laugh. “He’s always in a suit and tie. But, what he does is art in another way.”

Abby said that while her dad is typically a pretty “non-visual person,” the influence of her and her mom seems to be sticking. She recalled a recent incident when the two were driving near the NJ Turnpike and he pointed out a patch of cattails as something his wife might like.

“That just shows that if you expose people to what’s visual, they’ll start to appreciate it,” Brentano said.

Jon Bramnick certainly isn’t foreign to art appreciation. The assemblyman is currently sponsoring his annual summer photo contest, which encourages locals to submit pictures that display the beauty of New Jersey.

The art of his wife is also displayed prominently throughout a conference room in his office building.

While Abby has occasionally collaborated with her mom on projects, she says that most of her inspiration comes from the blend of both of her parents. Her interest in art may come from her mother, but she says her desire to use her art to help others is influenced by her father’s work as a lawyer and assemblyman.

“Dad is very social, more like me,” Bramnick said.  “He has practicality and common sense.”

Abby is currently trying to organize a workshop in the studio for local children called “Painterly Poetry.” The workshop intends to provide an opportunity for kids between the ages of 12 and 15 to express themselves through the palette of words and the language of paint. To express interest in the program, call 908-591-9370.