THESE PIECES also reveal the ways in which
poetry and the visual arts blend and intersect
throughout Brown’s practice. Many renowned
artists, both historical and contemporary, have
expressed their creative impulses in both writ-ten
and visual languages. Among them are
Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dali, Andy Warhol, and Yoko Ono.
Brown describes her multitudinous creative impulses: “I
am interested in other forms of the visual arts, really, in the
arts — period.”
She is an accomplished writer who has authored many
works of poetry. She is currently working on a memoir titled
“Pretty Much,” about her family and her colorful mother.
As a student at the University of North Carolina Wilmington
in the 1990s, Brown wrote a thesis entitled “Symbiosis: Word
and Image” as part of the requirements for her bachelor’s
degree in art. She investigated the relationship between these
two creative modes. Brown credits this experience with chal-lenging
her to think critically about herself and her work as an
artist.
However, the urge to experiment more freely, without
expectation or limitation, was palpable by the time she com-pleted
her degree.
“My middle name is ‘Go.’ I was ready to do my own thing
again when it was over, instead of just striving to meet expec-tations,”
Brown says. “It was a lot of pressure to think and to
do, and that was really good for me. I had a usefully analytic
approach to the work that I did. But I was ready to put all of
that to good use by the time I was done.”
Brown sets up challenges for herself based on the exploita-tion
and manipulation of color in her compositions. This is
true whether she is working en plein air or from photographs
she takes herself.
In paintings inspired by a trip to Santorini, Greece, for exam-ple,
Brown allowed color to dictate shape, form, and depth,
rather than striving for pure realism. She was inspired to take
this approach when she noticed that vestiges of old paint,
weathering, and exposure cause faint bits of color to bleed
through the obsessive whitewashing of the building exteriors.
This technique of leading with color is visible in many of
Brown’s travel paintings, including images from trips to France,
Italy, Portugal and New Mexico. One of these pieces from a trip
to France features an expansive, downward view of the steeple
of a white church. The top of the structure is visible between
the eaves of several clay-red roofs; the white building stands
out in bright contrast to its earth-tone surroundings.
The background contains a rolling mix of lush blues and
greens. Perspective and viewpoint are crucial in this image,
and yet, even these are determined by the scene’s color pal-ette.
In this painting and others, Brown expertly employs color
to grab and maintain the viewer’s attention.
Golden Gallery Cotton Exchange
311 North Front Street, 910-762-4651, www.thegoldengallery.com
Eclipse Artisan Boutique
More than 100 local and
regional artisans:
203 Racine Drive
910-799-9883
EclipseArtisanBoutique.com
“Used to Be More”
24 inches high by
24 inches wide
Acrylic on panel
$425
For Sale By Owner
WA L K
“Carolina
Summer”
Limited edition
print by
Mary Ellen Golden
“March Snow” by Stephen Sebastian, artist’s proof 75/83
18.5” x 26” triple matted and framed.
Signed and dated by artist, also inscribed as follows:
“Best wishes to a real lady and friend Merry Christmas —1983 Stephen”
$999
Privately owned, for sale by owner’s sister.
Can be inspected by appointment only,
at 7232 Wrightsville Avenue, Ste. D, Wilmington, NC
Contact: Pat Bradford 910-367-1137 or 910-256-5830
52
WBM august 2017