Bret John Barrett lives his work in San Diego. Employing paint and motion he creates paintings and kinetic sculptures that defy cynicism in an increasingly fabricated culture. Alternating between surrealist and realist techniques, involving motion and electronics in paintings and sculptures, he is creating pieces of an alternate reality. Bret has been experimenting with art supplies, electronics and engineering since 1984, when he left his hometown of Green Bay, Wisconsin, to pursue fine arts courses in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In 1990, with some fellow students of art, he opened a collective, live-in studio-gallery, Barn9, that helped Bret fully explore the possibilities of his vision and develop his curatorial skills. After a decade of do it yourself shows, involving over three hundred artists from the region, he sought the inspiration of a warmer climate. Bret traveled to southern California and stayed in San Diego in 2000. Bret’s kinetic works continue to grow and change with new technologies such as solar and wind power. His paintings now range from precision realist to biomorphic surrealism and can include light and kinetics as well. The optimistic energy of Bret's work is seen throughout his diverse use of imagery and materials. The alternate realities exposed in his art exist where creativity and technology collide, resulting in playful objects and images of intrigue that everyone can enjoy.
