Art is integral to mental health.
Robert Brekke
RATHDRUM, Idaho — 74-year-old Robert Brekke has been part of the art and fashion industries since the age of 12—even earlier if you count his charcoal sketches from elementary years—and his most recent paintings earned him the 2024 Artist of the Year award from the Coeur d’Alene Art Association.
His photography, which took off when his night shots of Los Angeles became popular, has won numerous national awards and his unique approach to teaching has earned a stellar reputation throughout Santa Cruz, Sonoma, Napa, Sacramento, and Kootenai counties. According to Brekke, his photography started as a means to support his passion for art, which at its height had him producing 200 pieces a year.
As a devoted Christian, Brekke believes that “the artistic-genus resides in the heart and soul of all people, implanted in them by their Master Artist-Creator.”
In 2021, Brekke moved to Rathdrum with his wife Terie and high school aged son. He welcomed Kootenai Journal to his private home studio—where he often spends 4 to 8 hour days creating new works of art—for an exclusive interview on January 18.
“I was gifted,” shared Brekke as he described his work in Hollywood in the 1960s. “I had a degree in fashion design as a teenager.” He spent eight years in Hollywood doing movie sets and world tours for rock bands. “The boutique I worked for in Beverly Hills would produce a whole 747 full of clothing for world tours… it was big money.”
“I loved it, but I didn’t love it—it was drug infested,” he shared. “It was out-of-control.” After getting burned out in the fashion industry, he returned to art. He attended five colleges and universities and obtained a degree in fine art from San Jose State University at the age of 39.
Robert described his youth as rebellious and says he was raised atheist and was a Marxist before he saw his way to Christianity and developed a conservative worldview.
His favorite medium to use is watercolor because “it is so much more expressive” than other mediums. “You can’t get this kind of moodiness out of oil,” he asserted while showcasing one of his watercolors. “It’s fluid, it’s responsive, it’s spontaneous.”
His favorite types of paintings are landscapes and abstracts. His first abstract was painted in 1990 after his art professors told him that’s where the money could be found in Silicone Valley.
Brekke teaches Beginning and Intermediate Drawing and Watercolor courses at a classroom in Terry Lee’s Art Studio in Hayden. Each course consists of a 3-hour once-a-week class for 12-weeks; the instruction is intense and comes with homework.
When he joked about his students’ adoration, his wife affirmed their affection for him and how he teaches. “He’s a good teacher…because he’s so passionate… he believes so strongly in what he’s doing. It’s not just about drawing, it’s about brain development and critical thinking.”
Art is all about critical thinking.
Robert Brekke
He believes that “almost anyone can learn to draw with proper instruction, discipline, and practice.”
“First day of class, I tell my students I can not teach you to be an artist. I can only teach you the skills an artist has… you being an artist is between you and God.”
“We aren’t talking about talent,” he continued. “Everything that you know how to do, you had to learn.”
It’s a connection you have to make with God. We were created in the image of our Creator, we have a creative spirit within us.
Robert Brekke
During the beginning of his courses, he reiterates to students that he will not be teaching them how to draw things. “I’m teaching you the skills needed to draw things” and that starts with how to hold a pencil, which can take some students weeks to learn.
He explains that he primarily teaches how to see and how to question what you think you see. “That’s critical thinking.”
Students can expect a structured class setting with four basic parts—critique of previous work, project of the week, class exercise, and homework instruction.
His next Beginning courses start February 26, those interested in attending can find further details at https://www.brekkeart.com/. Besides teaching, Brekke is an official judge at the North Idaho State Fair and regularly showcases his art at local exhibitions. His next showing will be at the By the Sea Art Exhibit and Sale at the Jacklin Arts & Cultural Center in Post Falls which opens February 7.
