vervolg tekst Sam Brown

Als kind kon ze die creativiteit kwijt in het dansen, later ging ze zich verdiepen in de theaterwereld. Dat resulteerde in een studie ‘Theatre Technologies’ waarbij haar aandacht vooral uitging naar decorontwerp en make up.

Haar eerste werkzaamheden waren dan ook in de wereld van het theater en de film, waar ze als decorschilder actief was. Al tijdens haar periode in het theater en bij de film maakte ze dan ook haar eerste kunstwerken. Sinds 1998 is ze fulltime kunstenares. Dat begon met muurschilderingen en het kopiëren van bestaande meesterwerken, maar kreeg al vlug een breder karakter. Want waarom jezelf beperken, waarom jezelf grenzen opleggen? Creativiteit is niet te beteugelen en Sam Brown laat zich er door leiden.

Haar werk kan zowel figuratief als abstract zijn, ze werkt net zo gedreven aan een schilderij als aan een interieurstuk, ze werkt samen met interior designers en architecten en ze kan zowel particulieren als bedrijven en instellingen tot haar klantenkring rekenen.

Zelf zegt ze er het volgende over: “Mijn reis als kunstenares leidt onder andere van het schilderen van kunstwerken voor bijvoorbeeld hotels naar het beschilderen van helikopters en auto’s op filmsets”. Pretentie is Sam Brown vreemd, het gaat om de schoonheid, het esthetische.

Sam Brown - Johannesburg

Being creative seems to be the main driving force behind the South African Samantha "Sam" Brown.
Her life is a journey through various disciplines of art, a journey in which she effortlessly crosses borders and takes new paths.
As a child she could use that creativity in dancing, later she immersed herself in the theater world. This resulted in a study "Theater Technologies" in which her attention was mainly focused on set design. Her first activities were therefore in the world of theater and film, where she was active as a set painter.
She made her first works of art during her period in theater and film. She has been a full-time artist since 1998. It started with murals and the copying of existing masterpieces, but soon took on a broader character. Because why limit yourself? Creativity cannot be restrained and Sam Brown is guided by it. Her work can be figurative as well as abstract, she works just as passionately on a painting as on an interior piece, she works together with interior designers and architects and she can count individuals as well as companies and institutions among her clientele.
She herself says the following about it: “My journey as an artist leads, among other things, from painting artworks for hotels, for example, to painting
helicopters and cars on film sets”. Pretension is alien to Sam Brown, it's about the beauty, the aesthetic.

'Inspired by an ardent interest in History, Travel and Anthropology, I am drawn to the biographical and narrative qualities of the individual human journey. I have been fortunate to explore a range of relevant themes in my work through personal travel experiences, influenced for many years as well by a prolific concurrent career in the Film Industry.
The insight acquired of the symbolism in garbing and beauty from my experience in the Film Industry, inspired my original iconic ‘Little Black Dress’ paintings which progressed over the past few years to include the representation of beauty and symbolism in a broadened context through an exploration of the Eastern Aesthetic, and directly resulted in my ‘Kimono’ paintings.
The symbolism of Japanese art within the context and history of the imagery depicted on each individual Kimono, reveals a distinct visual narrative and history of the life of the owner of the Kimono, or the person that it is intended for. Each of my Kimono paintings presents a detailed garment draped over an illusory figure, to avoid an abstract, rigid, illustrative image and in order to accentuate a softer, more feminine shape which captures the sensual folding of the fabric and entices the viewer to imagine or even fantasize about the characteristics of the illusive subject. The painted detail, although not always traditional, is highly symbolic and personalizes each artwork to represent a specific narrative for each individual artwork.
In order to portray the well-worn antique silks and linens that distinguish the age-old tradition, I developed a measured process of painstakingly layering numerous acrylic and oil glazes on textured surfaces, encapsulating the layers of painted detail and concluding with antique varnishes and resin. I often extend the use of mixed medium to include gold leaf and glass stains. More recently, the addition of embroidery advances the work to defy restrictions and the embroidery strings are sometimes left to cascade over the edges of the canvas, adding further dimensional interest and symbolism.
The intimate time spent on each artwork makes it very difficult to part with once completed, I suppose much like terminating a liaison with a lover or a concubine…but my passion is to create (and share) artworks with a dream like quality that evoke a sense of mystery… and tell the stories of the people that cross my path….'
Sam Brown