EVOKE
“Evoke”
The work of Clare Brown
There’s a reason why artists like Pink Floyd collect the work of Clare Brown. Her use of imagery and symbolism evokes powerful feelings through color, and conveys a message, story, or lesson.
“My art is really about the miracles of life, and the unseen,” explains Brown. “My mother lost her sight when I was a baby, so she taught me to “see” what isn’t seen, since she could feel her surroundings and feel colors.”
Theo Gimble, the world renowned color theorist. He worked with some 800 blind people uncovered the power that color has on our body and emotions. “he had a profound impact on my mum, and consequently on my work. I met him several times while accompanying my mother to his home and Lab in Gloucestershire England in the late 60s,” Brown says.
“I spent significant time in Gimble’s garden where he had molded seven huge egg shaped structures. Each “egg” was a color -- red, blue, yellow, etc. Each had a curved entrance and inside was a molded seat. Once inside, all you could see was the bright primary color of the egg. I spent hours bathed in colors. I remember Yellow days, Green feelings, red emotions… which left such a impression on me.”
Gimble’s research revealed that colors have specific effects on the human body, internal organs, moods and emotions. His work parallels the ancient Buddhist and Hindu recognition of the color energy areas within the body known as charkas, commonly used today by the metaphysical light workers.
Deeply understanding this resonance, Clare brown’s work is a carefully chosen collage of color, photography, computer graphics, and acrylic paint, staying within a specific scale of color hues.
Brown’s work creates a dream-like world to deeply affect the viewer. Manipulating shapes, familiar images and textures that have been taken out of context, the work contains constant surprises as new images reveal themselves.
The combination of multi-layered imagery, soft lines and color theory lets each piece “evoke” a response in the viewer, and endeavors to penetrate the environment in which the painting is placed. In addition, her work has hidden messages, such as, reminders of our beginnings, values, the scale and magic of life…
Influences on brown’s work are the Surrealists, the Dada Movement, the Metaphysical Dream Painters from the last century, and photography from modern media. Brown’s focus is to bring together elements from these influences to create a new combination and visual perspectives.
Brown was born in Glasgow, Scotland, and attended an arts based boarding school. She received her Bachelor of Arts at the Chelsea School of Art in London. She’s an established Production Designer and Muralist, currently residing in California. Brown’s work has been featured in television and film, and as part of collections in Britain, Finland, Holland, Greece, Luxemburg, and the United States.