Work and thoughts by K.L. Brown
On a recent visit to The Beaney in Canterbury, Kent, I was really happy to discover several excellent examples of community art projects. I think it’s great that The Beaney works so actively with a broad range of community groups.
Here’s what I discovered …
Continue reading “Community Art at The Beaney”In 2020 the Turner Contemporary in Margate, Kent hosted a show called ‘We Will Walk – Art and Resistance from the American South’, celebrating and documenting the art of black communities in the 20th century. It was an exhilarating and moving show, with such a rush of humanity and bathed in an art spirit of the highest order. I wrote a little delayed art commentary afterwards but the show felt so profound, in many dimensions, that I struggled to do a full write-up. Here at least are some of my reflections gathered together with some photographs, to document this show.
Continue reading “We Will Walk – at Turner Contemporary”Drawing from other artists’ work – be it casts, statues or paintings – has a long tradition in art education. This article has a great rundown of this vital part of self-education for many artists. Some great historical titbits too – for example when it first opened the Louvre in Paris used to reserve certain days for artists to work from their collection!
Continue reading “Just a great article about drawing from the Masters”In October 2018, I moved my life to Valencia, Spain, in search of a more artistic life. It was one big experiment to see what could happen if I put most of my time into making art. I thought of my first year as a ‘self-taught foundation year‘ and even put on my own end of year show.
Now, another year on, with the world turned upside down by a pandemic, I’ve decided to relocate to Kent, in the UK, for the foreseeable future. (Not that the future is desperately foreseeable these days, but you get the gist!) It’s a decision I wasn’t expecting to make and it is with a heavy heart. Living in Valencia over the last two years has been a hugely significant period in my life. So I thought I would take a moment to reflect on what I’ve learnt from my time in Valencia and on becoming an artist, so far!
Continue reading “On becoming an artist”Sometimes my art writing verges into serious Delayed Art Commentary … actually I quite like that phrase, and also the notion, of having a little time to digest and process a show. But there’s definitely a sweet spot, the optimum amount of time for the work to muddle round my brain a bit, but also for my initial reactions not to be too distant, to be able to call them back, dig into them, turn them over and figure out a bit more what it all means.
Continue reading “Delayed Art Commentary and Purvis Young”
I’m excited to announce that I am currently curating my first group show, ‘Flash Figures: Celebrating the Figure on Paper’, opening on Thursday 20th February at The RW Project, in Ruzafa, Valencia.
Continue reading “Flash Figures: Preparing the Show”I host a group called the Art Play Group in Valencia . I recently wrote a post explaining what it is and why it matters and how it came to be.
As I have been planning and preparing each Art Play Group session, I have had an instinctive feeling for how I do and don’t want to go about things. Continue reading “What makes the Art Play Group work?”
In late April 2019 I started a group called the Art Play Group, based here in Valencia. I’ve now hosted 12 events for the group with over 80 people attending. So it feels like a write-up on my blog is due! Continue reading “The Art Play Group – What? Why? How?”
I’ve been back on the John Steinbeck after a recent trip to California. First up on my Steinbeck ‘to-read’ list was ‘The Winter of Our Discontent’ , a very readable tale of a man in a small town, with a wind of change in the air and some moral dilemmas to face.
I thought the passage below was fascinating. Continue reading “‘The Place’”
The blank page is well known for evoking feelings of fear as well as possibility. I’ve recently moved to a new city, with the aim of dedicating more of my time to making art, as a result I’ve experienced a lot of blank pages and spaces in the last two weeks! I thought I’d share a little of that experience.
‘Blanks’ I’ve recently encountered include this blog, various sketchbooks (for me there’s something significant about the first drawing in a new place) and a new studio space. Continue reading “The blank page.”