Brynne Quinlan Discusses Sobriety and Photography in Step Work Interview
In a recent interview with interdisciplinary artist Douglas Breault on Lenscratch, Brynne Quinlan, a photographer hailing from Somerville, Massachusetts, discusses her long-term photographic project, Step Work. This series, which began eighteen years ago, delves into her own sobriety and that of her family, featuring images from as far back as 2007 and culminating in a photography book. Originally from Southern California, Quinlan relocated to Boston to pursue photojournalism, later moving to Montana and then Pittsfield, MA. She draws inspiration from artists such as Franz Kline and Nan Goldin. Quinlan has been recognized as a finalist for the Carolyn Harder Scholarship and awarded a Somerville Artist Fellowship Grant. Breault, who also teaches photography, has exhibited his work at numerous esteemed venues.
Key facts
- Brynne Quinlan's Step Work series began eighteen years ago and focuses on her sobriety and that of the men in her family.
- The series was developed into an artist-made photography book.
- Quinlan moved to Boston to study photojournalism but ultimately found it wasn't for her.
- She moved to Pittsfield, MA, after discovering her grandfather was born and raised there and his parents were buried there.
- A reviewer once asked her to write 250 words about each selected image, which she compared to the fourth step in AA.
- Her influences include Franz Kline, Clyfford Still, Mark Rothko, Frank Stella, Raymond Pettibon, Nan Goldin, Wolfgang Tillmans, Alec Soth, John Baldessari, and Edouard Leve.
- Quinlan was a finalist for the Carolyn Harder Scholarship supported by the Griffin Museum of Photography and received a Somerville Artist Fellowship Grant.
- Her work has been exhibited at Kominek Gallery, ShowUp, and Throughline.
Entities
Artists
- Brynne Quinlan
- Douglas Breault
- Franz Kline
- Clyfford Still
- Mark Rothko
- Frank Stella
- Raymond Pettibon
- Nan Goldin
- Wolfgang Tillmans
- Alec Soth
- John Baldessari
- Raymond Carver
- George Saunders
- Lorrie Moore
- Lydia Davis
- Mark Leyner
- David Gates
- Maggie Nelson
- Edouard Leve
Institutions
- Lenscratch
- Griffin Museum of Photography
- Kominek Gallery
- ShowUp
- Throughline
- Roski School of Fine Art, USC
- MFA Boston
- Addison Gallery of American Art
- Czong Institute for Contemporary Art
- Space Place Gallery
- Bristol Art Museum
- Rochester Museum of Fine Arts
Locations
- Somerville
- Massachusetts
- Boston
- Montana
- Pittsfield
- Southern California
- South Korea
- Russia