White Lilacs

When Andrea Dern was in grade school, she won a local contest. The prize was an easel, oil paints, and brushes—and Dern was hooked. She became an artist because she enjoys the challenge and the learning experience that comes with every day of attempting to interpret the beauty all around us.

Says the artist, “Art reflects the world we live in and the beauty of nature, and stimulates creative impulses that open doors to many exciting possibilities.”

Dern works in oils, because the flexibility of the oil medium allows her the option of capturing her subject directly in one sitting, or in painting in layers over many weeks. She is constantly trying to capture the ephemeral beauty of the roses from her garden, “from bud to leaf, to fallen petals, and also the evocative lilacs of my youth in the Midwest.”

Dern is an avid and accomplished gardener. She collects rare and antique roses and many varieties of jasmine and lilac. Her studio is all but engulfed by these heady, lively blooms. As an actor’s wife, Dern has had many unique opportunities to explore fascinating locales throughout the US and abroad. Discovering and exploring museums is as much of a passion with her as is painting.

“Depicting florals in oil is a constantly growing and evolving process; one which I cherish and strive to uncover more about the mysteries of this organic evolution.”

Dern attended North Dakota State University in Fargo, ND and Brentwood Art School in Brentwood, CA.

Her works appear in the private collections of many notables, including Barbra Streisand, Tom Hanks, Mary Steenburgen, Delta Burke, Laura Dern, Heather Locklear, Linda Rondstadt, and Jennifer Nicholson.