Patricia Bramsen, successful artist, poet, and longtime resident of Boulder, CO, passed away peacefully in her beloved Mapleton Hill bungalow on June 20th, 2023.
Patricia, known affectionately as Peach by many, is survived by her daughters Carin and Kirsten Bramsen, twin sister Virginia (Wylie) Milnikel, older sister Annette (Wylie) Pitcher, son-in-law Daniel Prebutt, Carin’s life-partner Gregg Levine, granddaughter Lena Bramsen, and an abundance of loyal extended family, friends, and caregivers. She is preceded in death by her mother Gladys (MacDonald) Wylie, father Alan Wylie, and aunt Mildred MacDonald.
Named Patricia Rae Wylie, Peach was born on May 31st, 1939 in Oak Park, Illinois, alongside her twin sister, Virginia. After attending Lyons Township High School, Patricia graduated from University of Illinois as an English major. Shortly after receiving her diploma Carin was born, followed by Kirsten three years after.
In the late 1960s, Patricia and her family moved to Boulder, where she found her passion for visual arts, immersed in the vibrant creative scene. She could be spotted walking down Pearl Street to her studio or CU art classes in lavender wedge heels, opulent hats, and vintage floral dresses.
Throughout Peach’s life, she used art, writing, and fashion to express her creative brilliance. After briefly moving to Illinois in the 1980s, Patricia returned to Boulder, her abode a domestic museum to her wonderfully surrealist artwork. Her art became well-known in Boulder and across the country, exhibiting at Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art, Blink Gallery, Mercury Gallery, Telluride, Chicago Public Library, Northern Illinois University, among many other galleries and museums.
A Poem by Patricia Bramsen:
Semantic
“I will reinvent the Poem.
Then at noon on the first day of May
the whole town will turn out
to watch the ceremony
when Ovid and Emily Dickinson
place the wreath of alarmingly alliterative metaphors
upon my head.
The band will play.”
The band will certainly play in her honor—her family, friends, and the Boulder community marching on.
In lieu of flowers, Patricia’s family requests donations be made to the Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art.
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