Local artist Briana Godden invites you to her first-ever solo exhibition, Halcyon Days: Ultra Vivid, which transforms Gallery One of the John M. Parrott Art Gallery into a surreal world where her captivating paintings come alive. Experience the full exhibition all March long at the Library Gallery, 254 Pinnacle St, Belleville. (February 28 to April 1)
Operating under the moniker Lady Brazen Studios, Godden is a Quinte West–based artist whose paintings combine surrealism with bold, vibrant colour. Her work has been featured by Global News, YourTV Kingston, Umbrella Magazine, and The Intelligencer, and showcased in juried shows and festivals all across Ontario. Her paintings and limited-edition prints are held in private collections internationally.
Godden’s paintings are defined by a signature combination of black-and-white subject matter punctuated by hyper-vivid colour. She uses digital collage as a foundation, reimagining and remixing nostalgic imagery into distinct conceptual works. These designs serve as a reference only, which she then freehand paints on canvas. Her artworks create a sense of transformation, nostalgia, and wonder, reframing familiar scenes through a surreal lens that invites emotional and narrative depth. The Art of Surreal Life encapsulates the conceptual language of her practice.
Based out of her home studio in Trenton, Ontario, Godden personally conceptualizes, paints, frames, and prepares every original and print. Her evolving body of work reflects a commitment to craft and storytelling, offering viewers a space where familiar moments reveal the unexpected.
