Becoming a first-time dad inspired New Zealand artist Bryce Brown to develop a collection of paintings which celebrate the bond between mother and child. His exhibition, "Bella Mamma", will open Mother’s Day weekend (May 7th) at Palette gallery in Belmont, on Auckland’s North Shore. Describing the experience of becoming a parent, Mr Brown says he has been overwhelmed by love for his son Henri, and deeply moved by witnessing the special bond between his wife Catherine and their baby, "I’ve been a part of fatherhood already with Catherine’s two girls – Olivia and Brianna, but a newborn is so precious and dependent on you, it’s amazing!".
Capturing this relationship on canvas seemed a natural step as the majority of his work to date has featured figures.
The Bay of Plenty artist has chosen a classical Greek-Italian style of line and colour for many of the paintings featured in the show – an influence from frescoes he saw during his travels to places such as Pompeii, Italy.
The aim of all his figurative paintings is to capture the essence of the human spirit and present a kind of "snapshot" of a person when they are completely caught in the moment. Reflecting on his distinctive style, Mr Brown says "I like to explore movement through my paintings as well as push the limits of colour, line and texture."
Palette director Deborah Moss says Mr Brown’s paintings have had a strong impact on gallery visitors who are fascinated by the artist’s use of texture and his quirky depiction of the human form.
Mr Brown was born in Auckland in 1971 and grew up in the lush Northland surrounds of Whangarei. He began to seriously pursue painting in the mid 90s, with the outstanding beauty of the Northland area providing him with a major source of inspiration.
His strong passion for art became the main motivation for a 12-country world tour in 1997 which incorporated visits to all the major European galleries. Nature and the people he observed and met during his travels provided artistic stimulation.
Brown has since had five solo exhibitions and his work is held in private collections in Europe and the USA.
Bryce Brown is a Premiere Portfolio artist at absolutearts.com. View more of his work at: www.absolutearts.com/portfolios/b/brycebrown/ or www.brycebrownart.com.
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