Berly Brown

Lives and works in Troy, NY, USA

Artist statement

Through the transformation of paint material, I examine how paint can describe diverse sensory stimuli. This reflects a longing for deeper connections with physical and fleeting phenomena in our natural environment. My work emerges from the impression that objects, flora, fauna, and even ideas, feelings, and places have spiritual essences, wills of their own, and communicate with us through everyday encounters. In my most recent work, I use multiple layers of paint material ranging from liquid veils of gloss polymer to thick sculptural application of oil paint, dry fillers, and glass beads. This translates to dazzling and visually tactile experiences for the viewer. My visual language is informed by internal sensations I associate with emotions, memories, visions, and digital glitching. I express this language through oil and acrylic paint combined with crushed pumice, glass beads, and reflective powders in a variety of densities and configurations. The glass beads animate and enliven the work through interactions with light. On occasion, I use visual touchstones to suggest a narrative. My impulse to make visible a personal interoceptive experience is a therapeutic practice for processing ingrained and invasive feelings of invalidation and powerlessness. Through the building of my semi-sculptural paintings, I learn to embody my own felt experience. Process is just as important to me as product. Some of my paintings are executed quickly and intuitively and revolve around...

Artwork