Large Still Life with Wing

Large Still Life with Wing is an example of Joan Brown’s early painting style. It features dense oil paint and combines elements of abstract and figurative art. Abstract art does not attempt to represent anything from reality. Figurative art depicts real-world objects like people, animals, landscapes, and still lifes. Brown created this work using an impasto painting technique. This technique involves applying thick layers of paint to a surface. It creates a textured effect in which the artist’s brush or palette knife strokes are heavy and visible. 

Brown was an American painter who lived and worked in Northern California. In the early 1960s, she was a leading member of the Bay Area Figurative Movement. This art movement rejected abstract expressionism in favor of figurative painting. Other American artists who were part of this movement include Elmer Bischoff, Richard Diebenkorn, and David Park. 

I was bored with what I was doing and there was a lot more to be learned . . . So I stopped painting heavy, expressionist paintings and became my own teacher, a student of myself.

Joan Brown

Brown is best known for her brightly colored and textured paintings of women (including herself) and animals. She often incorporated cartoon-style drawings and personal symbolism into her work. Her whimsical style and energetic use of color and texture in her work set her apart from other figurative artists of her time. 

I’m not any one thing: I’m not just a teacher, I’m not just a mother, I’m not just a painter, I’m all of these things, plus.

Joan Brown