Jerry Brown

"I am a Dine’ artist navigating the world of abstract
expression. Being Dine’ is at the heart of where my work
begins. My art is an expression of my experiences, emotions,
and stories I see in my daily life. My work explores these
themes using paint and texture. I combine materials, color,
images, and scale to give the viewer a glimpse into my world.
I am drawn to creating abstract contemporary works that
reflect my life. Whether the piece is abstract, a landscape, or
an animal study, I always begin with a base layer that is
usually full of color and abstract movements. I often use
modeling paste in that base to build texture and depth. When I
work with modeling paste and other mediums, I try to show
that life is full of texture, depth, and feelings. I then apply
layer upon layer and let the painting grow and come to life. I
find that my daily life seeps into pieces. The feelings I
experienced in a ceremony or felt at a beautiful sunset. The
colors in the pieces reflect my emotions. I may then add
found objects and handmade paper to the collage and build
the painting. I find animals, especially birds, to be exciting
and interesting subjects for my work. I celebrate the life of
animals through my use of the juxtaposition of a wildly
abstract painting surrounding the still image of the animal.
Sometimes, the piece comes together within hours,
sometimes weeks or months. In all cases, I know the piece is
finished when I can walk away and not feel pulled to add
more layers." ‒ Jerry Brown