Forgotten Love Letters Project

Many years ago i created a painting titled  "Forgotten Love Letters".

At the time (i  believe at 24 years old) i was still noursing the wounds of the end of my first marriage and doting over the unrequited loves that came to follow.

When we moved a few months ago, i found a box full of memorbilia from past loves.

This box was full of photos and hand wriiten notes.

Some notes were to those who would never love me back, a few were to me and i did not reciprocate the feeling. But most were love letters written in the time of their passion.

this discovery reignited an idea that has been brewing for a while now.

a series based on  actual. "forgotten" love letters.

there is a chance that in your attic, as is the case with mine, there are love letters that tell a story about a time in your life
.
These relationships still on going or far removed have somehow shaped where you are now.

In this digital age, the hand written love letter is becoming obsolete.

(surely all of the texts i send my husband, no matter how heartfelt, do not relay the same emotion as a hand written note.)

and this is where i need your help.

i want to do a series embedding old love letters into paintings.
Sadly, my own back stock would probably be enough to create a full body of work, but what fun is that?!

If you are willing, please scan and email me your old love letters.  i will remove any names to respect your privacy,


or if you have found old letters from a relative- great!

please help me honor a bygone treasure.

my email:  contact@ebcbrown.com

"Forgotten Love Letters"

Tomorrow

Tomorrow night is the reception for the "Vista" exhibition at the Art Trust. I have 7 of my pieces from my Lost Series on display along side the beautiful work of David Katz and Carlos Alejandro.

Exhibition runs through September 9th.

Friday August 5th 

5pm-8:30pm

16 west market street

West Chester, pa

http://www.thearttrust.org/

     "Trestle No.2"

      24"x24"

      Encaustic, acrylic and paper on panel 

      EBCBrown,LLC'16

     "Lost No.12"

     12"x12"

      Encaustic, acrylic and paper on panel 

      EBCBrown,LLC'16

     "Lost No.13"

      Encaustic, acrylic and paper on panel 

      EBCBrown,LLC'16

So it goes

There are many facets to being a professional artist.

From my experience-

 There is the joy of creating. To labor with your whole heart in the solitude of the studio. To gather inspiration from the world around you and pour it into your work. 

There is the joy of exhibiting your work. Taking these pieces that you so long labored over and set them before the eyes of whatever viewer comes their way.  They may love it or hate it, but it is out there.

There is the career aspect. Looking for new exhibitions- new ways to get your work "out there". The joy when a great opportunity comes your way.  The pride in updating your resume with your latest accomplishments. The despair when a situation turns unfavorable. Rejection or worse not being able to get noticed.

The income aspect- you pay rent for the studio. You pay for supplies, to have your website and many other things. You do this in faith that paintings will sell. Sometimes they do. Sometimes they don't...

The personal aspect- taking time away from your family, sometimes sacrificing sleep, to produce the work and maintain the business aspect. 

It can be daunting. At this point for me, so much time must be spent focused on home with my new little one. But my heart still yearns to take my career further. I ache to be in the studio more. And I worry... How will I get to the next "level"? How will I pay the rent? (Lord, please let me sell a painting soon).

But will I give up? No. It has always worked out somehow. I have sacrificed and worked too hard to stop now. 

.

Lost

Over the past year I have been working on a series called “Lost”.

For much of my life I have been inspired by the abandoned and broken down structures around me.

Sometimes as a professional artist you can paint yourself into a corner.

What do viewers and collectors expect from you? If you delineate too much, what will they think?

I’ve been trying to give myself permission to follow the “muse” despite these worries.

Thus I have ventured into the guilty pleasure of my “Lost” series.

They are inspired by two specific sites- the old testle bridge and the abandoned paper mill in Downingtown, PA.

Why call them lost? 

They are remains, but not quite so distant.  They are not truly forgotten because they still stand.

They are Lost because these structures that once held such purpose have been completely let go. They are now decaying monuments to what was once something vital to many people. As nature slowly dismantles them and reclaims the land, they haunt those that take the time to look at them. 

The rust, broken windows and pealing paint enchant me. The bare bones of such industrial structures takes my breathe away.

hundreds of people once worked here…

At this site, thousands of people once crossed on their way east or west across PA...

An eye sore to many, these two structures are incredibly inspiring to me.

I realize that I am on borrowed time.  They will not exist as they are- in a state of decay- for much longer. 

I need to capture them.   I need to try to paint them in such a way that leads the viewer to see the beauty I see in them.

These “Lost” ones are dear to me.

     "Trestle"

    "Lost No.5"

    "Lost No.2"

    "Bridge"

    "Mill"

For more details about these and other pieces in the series, visit my website-

www.ebcbrown.com

(copyright all images EBCBrown,LLC'16)

Chester County Studio Tour

I am excited and honored that my studio is participating in the Chester County Studio Tour this year.



Saturday May 21st   10-6
Sunday   May 22nd  11-5

My studio address:

28 North New Street
West Chester, PA

This year is going to be particularly interesting, because i am due with my 2nd child any day now.
This is one of my favorite events.  Though some say I'm crazy to take on such an event with a new born in tow, i can't miss it!

This event is free, open to the public and family friendly.
Please come to my studio to see my latest work in the crazy space i create them.
Have some snacks and meet the newest addition to our family.

Please bear with me if I'm a little out of it due to sleep deprivation, etc.
I will  be especially grateful for every body's support this year!

This event has 53 studios across Chester County with many great visiting artists.
For more info, go to :
http://www.countystudiotour.com

"Umbra No.1

8"x8"

encaustic and natural materials on panel

http://www.ebcbrown.com/gallery/umbra-no-1

"Bridge"

36"x36"

encaustic, paper, acrylic,

graphite and sumi ink on panel

http://www.ebcbrown.com/gallery/bridge/

"Trestle"

36"x36"

encaustic, paper, acrylic, graphite

and sumi ink on panel

http://www.ebcbrown.com/gallery/trestle-2/

"Lost No.5"

7"x5"

mixed media on panel

http://www.ebcbrown.com/gallery/lost-no-5/

"Nest"

5"x7"

encaustic and shellac on panel

http://www.ebcbrown.com/gallery/nest/

"Still No.1"

6"x6"

encaustic and natural materials on panel

http://www.ebcbrown.com/gallery/still-no-1/

The engineering of art

I am honored to have my work included in this group exhibition organized by the Chester a County Art Association.

“The Engineering of Art”  

group exhibition

Henry Gallery

Penn State University, Great Valley

January 13th- March 14th

Tribute

Tribute

"Tribute" is the title of my solo exhibition at the Eastburn Gallery at Cairn university.

Though i may not mention it often out right, i am a christian.  While I would not consider myself to be a model Christian, my beliefs do play a major roll in the creation of my work.  I do not usually make this overt to avoid inhibiting the viewer's personal relationship to my work. 

Many years ago, the first college that i attended was Philadelphia Bible College.
At 18, I wasn't quite sure what i wanted to do with my life, but i knew that i wanted to know more about and wrestle with my faith.  PBC  was academically and spiritually challenging. It was a good experience for me.

At the end of my freshman year, however, i found out that i could no longer afford to attend a private college and i was pretty sure that i wanted to go to an art school. This was a step out into a big, new and scary world for me.

I scheduled a meeting with the dean of academics.
I knew he loved art, he knew me and i had great respect for his opinion.
He encouraged me to follow my calling in art. 
He was one of the few who did so at the time.

I have been grateful for his encouragement ever since.

When i was approached about doing a solo exhibition on campus recently, i jumped at it. Now, 16 years later, that dean has become president, PCB has become Cairn University and I have spent almost half of my life pursuing my career in art.

How wonderful to go back to where this all began.  Ironically my work over the past year has been reflective of the experiences I've had since that time.  These ventures into adult hood and being a professional artist have included many struggles and a wealth of stories. 


My exhibition statement for the the "Tribute" exhibition:

In my studio, I wrestle with my paintings as I try to express emotions from the experiences of my life.

I aim to convey the raw feelings of my struggles contrasted with light and hope.  I do this in an abstract way so that they may be personally interpreted by the viewer.

I am inspired by the broken and forgotten things I observe around me.  Images of such things often find their way into my work, but recently I have begun to use them more specifically.  Seemingly random objects that have personal significance are used in my Reliquaries.  The remains of my beloved garden have become the foundation of my Odes. Photographs of abandoned structures that intrigue me are the base of my Lost series. 

I identify with these broken and abandoned things.  I have felt alone, fallen into sin and faced great struggles, but God has continually met me in his grace and the knowledge of his greater purposes for my life. 

I long to show the beauty in the struggles of life.

These paintings are a confession of experiences and a tribute to Gods faithfulness.

The exhibition is up until early May.

Artist reception to be announced soon.