Breanna, painting away at Art 64.

Last month, North End assistant branch manager Breanna Rooney took part in Wauwatosa’s Art 64 tournament — a two-day, public, bracket-style live speed-painting competition in which artists competed against one another to produce paintings based on a pre-selected theme within a time limit.

“It was a great experience! I met some amazing artists and had some inspiring conversations,” Breanna said.

A commission Breanna did for a train lover. “He loved and collected all things train related,” she says.

The initial 64 artists were paired up in one-on-one competitions on Friday, June 3, and worked on their pieces out on the street in Tosa Village, so attendees could wander around checking everything out. Just as in a March Madness–style bracket, at the end of the first round, a winner was chosen from each pairing, leaving 32 artists to compete. Over Friday and Saturday, the brackets were pared down further, until the winner claimed the $20,000 top prize.

This was the first such tournament for Breanna, who didn’t make it past the first round (netting a $50 award) but was still pleased to have been selected to compete. She and the other artists had to submit a portfolio to be chosen as one of the starting 64.

“I have been making art for as long as I can remember,” she says. She works in mixed media, with a focus on acrylic paint. She also takes photos and was first recognized for her work when she was around 10. “My work has been featured at Milwaukee’s city hall, in The New York Times, and by the Photographic Society of America, among other places.” The photo series that earned her the most attention early on consisted of pictures of youth in her community.

“I don’t believe there was anything specific that ignited my passion for art,” she says. “I’ve always surrounded myself with creative people, so that I would be inspired, and to challenge the way I view the world and create my own work.”

A mural Breanna recently worked on in Texas at an all-woman event welcoming female artists from across the country.

Art 64 was a nice opportunity to focus, briefly, on her own work, as Breanna has spent much of her creative time over the last couple of years working on commissions for others. These pieces have ranged from 2-by-2-foot paintings to enormous murals, such as the ones she did for a music studio. “I painted at least five walls in there, and these walls were huge — and they wanted a different theme for each,” she says.

She’s currently working on a 4-by-3-foot commissioned painting, which she describes as “the most challenging” she’s ever taken on. “It’s so hard to fit in all the details!”

She says: “My commissions typically come about by word of mouth or social media. I have a website, but it’s currently under construction.”

The person who commissioned this painting loved autumn and asked for “something with texture,” Breanna says.

Breanna and Grafton personal banker Stephen Hallam were slated to be featured in the Grafton branch’s Stone House Gallery this month, but needed to reschedule. Their work is expected to show up there in the future.

And does she hope to compete in the next Art 64, whenever that takes place? “Absolutely!” she says.