Artist

Biography

Stephen Arnold Brown received degrees in Arts and Architecture from Rice University, where he studied with Jasper Rose, artist and art historian, fresh from Cambridge, U.K.
Jasper encouraged Stephen to forget architecture and just paint, but Brown's father said artists can't earn a living. Thus, Brown became a career architect but painted on the side. He married, did portraits of his kids, later of his grandchildren, who say papa's work is "way cool."
Brown has been inspired by a group formed in 2007 around UCSD's France-Marie Haeger, focusing on art spirituality, freedom of expression and based in history of art. Brown more recently has been influenced by old master grisaille painting and drawing techniques with Pat Kelly at The Athenaeum.
Brown's work has evolved from quick frescoes in oil with Jasper Rose to abstract fibonacci inspired mandalas and detailed studies of nature with France-Marie Haeger. The grisaille painting techniques of Pat Kelly have enabled Brown to express the discovery of beauty in Life as he sees it, magnifying details, sharing what is often missed in first simple observations. He paints to bring dimensionality and scale, light, color and shape to the often flat world of painting.