"I'm a painter, primarily. My practice is various: abstracts for the pure joy of it, representational when I am driven to the world, or the world drives me. A major part of my figurational work is given over to "works of despair," mistreatment of others, violence, disaster.

The artist's goal is truth. And attention. I don't know if painting these scenes makes much sense (although I give paintings away to auction - the ACLU for women's reproductive rights, the Ukraine Embassy for medical relief...) except all we have, all we are is memory and attention, and it is all to easy to ignore suffering, and shrink your circle of care.

I do that myself. So in part I am painting these paintings to pay attention. And through attention, devotion. What comes next, I don't know."

- Owen Brown



Published 5th November, 2024.
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