Featured Artist - Staci Brown

Sep 19

Featured Artist - Staci Brown

Featured Artist…Meet Staci Brown, Abstract Artist

Staci's Bio

I'm a Scorpio born in the year of the Dragon, both of which are very passionate and intense signs and pretty much explains my creative spirit! :D I grew up in the Catskill Mountains of upstate New York and along the coast of Rhode Island. Since then I've traveled and lived all over the states including two extremes: Alaska and now in the Sonoran Desert of Arizona.

I just sold a painting to my first International buyer over in England the other day and now have a commission for a new painting from someone in Scotland!

My first gallery opening happened July 1, 2011 at Gallerie 801, a high end art gallery in Hot Springs, AR! :D http://www.galerie801.com/Later that night the two owners decided to get into a piss war and are now suing each other! I've been painting for a year now and loving every moment! Such a great release/outlet for overflowing emotions! Mostly I use Acrylics on canvas but now and then I'll paint with watercolors and both oil and soft pastels.

Don't be surprised when staring at one of my paintings if you see human faces or animals staring back at you! LOL This just happens on its own..., as I do not intentionally paint these faces or animals... I've been asked what inspires me when I create a new painting. Most of my paintings start in my dreams while I'm sleeping and when I wake up I paint from the memory of my dreams. Other times I just allow the paints to lead me. I listen to their calling and become one with the paints, brushes, and canvas! All of my paintings are for sale, so if you see something you like - talk to me and lets work out a deal :) I also do commissions. And always free worldwide shipping.

AzCulture caught up with Staci at her apartment studio in Mesa. Here’s what we chatted about.

Q. Can you give us some insight into what your day is like?

A. Well, I enjoy life but my health prevents me from going out, I can barely walk. I have diabetes and it restricts the use of my legs. Its painful, so I spend all of my time on Facebook or painting. I was forced to quit music (no way that I can play the double bass on my kit). I even had to paint with my left hand as my right hand was in such pain.

Q. So your health impacts your art ?

A. At the same time my art is therapeutic.

Q. So how does painting help you?

A. Honestly, it gets me moving doing things. It exercises my body because I want to capture my ideas, so painting is motivational...

You know I'm nervous about this interview? I've only been painting about 13 months. I've seen the articles you've done on other artists and I wonder what can I say? What do I have to offer? The other artists have so much more experience and practical knowledge. Yes I'm nervous because I have so little time in this discipline.

Q. We are amazed at the level of skill and technique that you employ and quite frankly wonder; if this is your humble beginning, what will your work be like after ten years of application and development of style?

A. Well, if the interview is about me, my life and my style, I can see this interview as a unique opportunity to try to understand and to share my art.

Q. What do you love most about what you do? Hate most?

A. Its what I love most of the time. You get to express your every emotion that you have or that you feel. You get to share every emotion that comes out. Like color. A lot of people tell me, "I like the way that your color mixes!" They find that it is aesthetically pleasing. When I first looked at color theory, I thought that it was akin to music theory. with my love for music and the instruments that I can no longer play, I recognized the color and related it to music, and that made color theory simple. As a new artists with a musical background, I am forced to push the envelope.

Like learning an instrument, when you first start, you practice your fundamentals; exercises, scales, and theory. At some point, you have to venture out into new territories to see what the instrument is capable of. The same thing happens with painting. You begin to wonder, what does this brush do; what happens when I shove these colors together (oh, its mud). Its a learning experience and that's what I love about it. All these new experiences are happening. As far as what I hate about it...I don't think that there is anything to hate about it. At least not yet.

Q. What completely cracks you up?

A. Loud noises; everything. When you have a life where anything and everything can go wrong, you want to find the things that make you happy. I love to laugh. I'll find something to laugh about. If you are forced with adversity and you can laugh about it, you are going to have a better, happier life.

Q. In your opinion, what should every artist know about painting?

A. Be careful of the galleries and who you connect with.

Thanks, Staci.

Read more about Staci by visiting our Featured Artist's profile. Click Here.

Become a member on AzCulture by midnight, October 16th, 2011 and win a Painting from Staci!

Generously offered by Staci:

"winner receives a free commissioned abstract painting from me on 20x24 canvas. winner gets to choose the colors they want me to use in said painting. shipping of finished painting is free to any winner within Arizona. if winner is outside of Arizona they will be responsible for all shipping charges."