The Kiss: By International Artist Vanessa Brown NRCMA Statement As a multi-media capable artist proficient in both the literary and visual arts as well as several styles and mediums, the question of what to create came surprisingly quick and clear. While sticking to my favorite medium of acrylic, I decided to showcase my creative range with a diptych of visually engaging possibilities unique to my skill and collection. Having always tended toward portraiture and realism, I opted to incorporate a less restrictive execution rich with form-shaping brushstrokes reminiscent of the two-dimensional animation figures I grew up drawing for my own entertainment. My approach heavily incorporates the two main lessons acquired during my education at Caldwell University which are the unabashed use of bright and bold colors as well as a composition free from the binding symmetry that was so ingrained in me upon my arrival. The subject of all things is love and while I attempted to eliminate a smidgeon of definitive interpretations with slight abstraction with the environment, I was open to a modicum of esotericism in the expressions. For those who would prefer a more definitive interpretation of the work, I sought to portray a blending of two worlds. I consciously chose a diptych as opposed to one large canvas in order to portray this. Instead of painting two figures and centering them as was my previous habit, I chose to have them run right into each other. Romantically speaking, I chose an article of clothing to bring them together (the tie which I purposely captured in a gentle attempt to draw the other figure into my canvas by pulling him over). I also chose to portray a soft adoring kiss… a universally recognizable and intimate way to connect the figures. This piece serves to both demonstrate the skills that of which I am most proud and also serves to celebrate my growth as an artist over the past several years. |
Previously at Visceglia Gallery :
Recent Paintings by Vanessa Brown
Art by Vanessa Brown NRCMA
Statement:Ss
My main interest is painting scenes taken directly from everyday urban life. After tampering with an array of subject matter, I narrowed my focus toward that which is typically regarded as mundane. It
was during my series of paintings from Newark and East Orange that I
found an increasing interest in utilizing realism to draw attention to
the subtle details deeply ingrained in urban environments. I
adopted an approach akin to social realism where through my work, the
viewer is brought face to face with constantly over looked common
occurrences. Often times, portraiture plays
a part in my scenes where like artist Simmie Knox, I aim to capture
expressions that are fleeting.
By
linking process, color choice and composition to the content of my
work, I have been able to depict carefully selected subjects. Part of my focus is balanced between the relationship shared by man and nature. I employ form-shaping brushstrokes to depict both the pleasant and unpleasant scenes spurred by the growth of such environments. The
viewer becomes witness to how the city embraces man, yet scourges the
very nature that once protected him, one heavy brick at a time. Each and every individual painting serves as the very tableau of a certain place, time or occurrence. By using realism, I eliminate an unnecessary amount of esoteric and definitive interpretations. What you see is what you get in a stimulating series of carefully planned and selected acrylic paintings executed on canvas. The
work seeks to draw the unsuspecting spectators into a world that
initially viewed, appears foreign, but upon closer inspection is
curiously familiar.