
Dana Brown
American painter Dana Brown sees the beauty in rough, unlovely things. Her paintings of farm equipment and train and boat parts make them lovely to us, too. Maybe it’s because I live on a bay and have a mild obsession with all things salt water related, but her paintings, even those that don’t have any hit of water in them, feel to me like they’re water adjacent. There’s something about the light and colors in her work that make me feel like the air must smell of salt spray. I guess that’s the magical thing about art. We all bring our own experiences and references to it.
I think Brown’s choice of medium probably has a great deal to do with how rusty and gritty and real her paintings feel. She works in casein and encaustic, very tricky materials which I had to look up. Casein is derived from milk proteins and looks a little like watercolor, and encaustic paint is a beeswax paint that when applied hot, has a translucent quality. Her skill with those complicated media gives her subjects a majestic depth and look of age and wear I don’t think I’ve seen elsewhere.
You can see more of the artist’s work on Facebook and Tumblr.
All images property of Dana Brown.
November 10, 2018 at 1:35 pm
As a fan of rust and decay, these paintings really appeal to me. I have not read about someone working with casein in a long time so that is fascinating. I am also intrigued by her choice of encaustic because I usually see that being used to give things an ethereal quality. The idea of combining that misty softness with this subject matter is really interesting. I am most drawn to the rusty train with the 4436 because it conjures up memories of dragging my family around rusted hulks and because I like its abstraction by focusing in on part of the subject.
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November 10, 2018 at 3:49 pm
It’s such gorgeous stuff. I’m not surprised that you are familiar with her materials, and I can see how encaustic would be suited to less solid, substantial subjects. She’s really one of a kind. I love, love, love her work!
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November 10, 2018 at 5:34 pm
Wow…some are almost photo like.
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November 11, 2018 at 2:28 am
They really are terrific!
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