After raising a family and enjoying a succesful career in higher education, Joan Brown has followed a lifelong interest into a second career in fine art. Painting has become a passion and commitment and she states "that a day without a brush in my hands is not a good day."
Born and raised in the west, Joan spent childhood vacations exploring and camping in national parks where she developed an appreciation of nature and the out of doors. Brown's work currently includes many scenes of the west where she and her husband Wayne have traveled. When not traveling, Joan finds constant visions and fascinating figures to paint around her home in Southern Oregon and Northern California.
Brown's work in oils and watercolors has captured the attention of the public and fellow artists. Her award winning paintings have been exhibited in national and international competitions and at regional art museums. Her work is also in many private homes and corporate collections.
Whether capturing her figurative subjects in a moment of quiet contemplation or conveying the magic of evening light across the landscape, Joan's images glow with light and color. Her landscapes capture the wide open vistas of the west and many of her figures have also been found within that same contemporary western scene. Joan's motivation to express the beauty, inspiration, humor and meaning she finds in life is easily read in all of her images.
Brown shares one of her central feelings about her work:
"The natural world calls to me with it's endless visions and I must paint it. Sometimes, the composition is strong, the values correct and the inspiration is expressed. Ah, then the music plays. Immediately, the next image calls to me challenging me to "get it perfect". Like everything in life, paint has a way of it's own and I must learn to dance with it. Each time I pick up a brush, I know a dance lesson is about to begin. I follow closely, sway to the rhythms around me and hope for a tango now and then."
When not painting, Brown can often be found in her gardens, sailing at the local lake, or spending time with her family. She feels privileged to study in an ongoing basis with artist and mentor Richard McKinley. Additional teachers she has worked with include John Poon, Henry Stinson, Judy Morris, Ted Nuttall, Carla O'Conner, and many others.
Information about availablility and pricing of her work can be obtained by contacting the artist through this website.
Many of Brown's images are available in high quality giclee reproductions.
More information can be obtained through contacting the artist.
