How did I develop "my style?"

I have always prided myself in perfection. When I realized that life would not grant me the perfection  and order I so struggled to achieve, I discovered the beauty in imperfection.

I can remember the instructor at the Visual and Performing Arts High School that I attended withholding erasers from the class. She said, "There are no mistakes in Art!" I learned this lesson in life as well. There are no mistakes, just experiences. The only mistake is to not grow with your experiences. 

So, I toss and splatter and sprinkle and scrape and drip. I find completion in incompletion and perfection in imperfection. My paintings are complete when I can feel the emotion behind the paint, not when everything is in order.

This particular painting has been repainted several times at different stages of my life. And I never completely cover the previous painting. They are all a part of the final result.

New Bio

I have decided to update my bio. As an artist, it is my job to sell myself. Looking back, there are so many amazing events and organizations that I have been blessed to be a part of. Check out my bio below...

Rhea Brown was born in Los Angeles, CA, of African American, Mexican, Sicilian, and Turkish descent.  Adopted by a loving family at 6 mos., she traveled from North Dakota, to California, to the Philippines, to Maryland, and to Illinois. 

            Since a young child, she had a love for art.  In high school she attended the Visual and Performing Arts Program at Suitland High in MD.  However, she had every intention of becoming a doctor, having graduated with a full scholarship to study veterinary medicine at Tuskegee University.

            However, with the birth of her daughter at 17, she decided to move to Texas and devote her time to raising a family.  A year later she had the opportunity to study under a local fashion designer, then shortly after decided to return to her first love; art.

Phoenix Art Studio was birthed in 2001 with the aid of Killeen’s Carol’s Art Gallery.  She went on to acquire an Associate’s Degree in Commercial Arts from Central Texas College.  She also received informal training under Moody muralist/portrait artist Sandy Dusek, and Killeen photographer/muralist/film art director Rudy Calooy, Jr.  Rhea has also had the pleasure of experiencing the ancient art of Athens, Kavala, and Cozumel.

Over this time she has practiced creating acrylic, oil, and airbrush portraits, murals, woodwork, wall sculptures, book and CD illustrations, graphic design, and face and body painting.  Aside from commissioned work, she creates inspirational and thought-provoking works of art.

Rhea has had the opportunity to show her work in cities across Texas, Louisiana and New York. She sold her inspiring piece, “Letting Go”, to acclaimed recording artist Vickie Winans and has displayed her work during performances by renowned artists such as Kirk Franklin and Louis Gossett, Jr.

She also spends her time instructing art classes at the Round Rock Cordovan Art School and working closely with organizations that assist U.S. veterans and their families. Rhea has painted comemorative portraits for wounded soldiers and for the families of fallen soldiers. She has also taught theraputic art classes and face painted for military retreats.

Rhea’s work and commission details can be viewed at www.PhoenixArtStudio.net.

My Favorite Murals

These are two of my favorite murals that I painted. And they only took a few hours. It was second nature to paint a portrait.
A woman hired me to paint the Joker on her son's wall. I painted it on a dark and stormy night. She was very particular on how it turned out, so I remember touching it up several times.
Another woman hired me to paint Jesus in her home office. Her kids were peeking in the room in amazement as I worked. It is life-sized and took me only 5 hrs to complete.

Here is a picture I painted in 2012 of Spc. Kedith L. Jacobs, Jr. He is a military hero who lost his life defending our country. I have painted portraits free of charge of fallen soldiers for their families. I want to help the families of heroes to have a beautiful memory of their loved one.
I was recently able to attend the National Gala for HelpingAHero.org. It was a beautiful experience. I was able to see some injured veterans receive new homes. My partner, J. Philip Majors and I, who attended the event together, would like to help promote awareness of such organizations and compose commemorations in honor of our brave American Heroes through art.

Scars of Man

Scars of Man

Psalm 40:5

Man has a baneful disposition to label his fellow man. Failure, beauteous, impotent, successful and naïve are a few titles that he sears to the conscience of others. What label do people place on you? Do you let it dictate who you are and how you view yourself? God has given us none of these labels. He has created us in His image.and has taken the time to dress the lilies of the field and the birds of the air for our pleasure and fulfillment. Never confuse the thoughts that man has for you with who you really are.

This is one of my favorite pieces. It is part of a series entitled "Introspection". In a time of 2-3 weeks, I composed a body of 13 works for display at Central Texas College. This series focused on my thoughts and opinions of the world and life in general. This is a contrast to my previous series entitled "Testament of the Miraculous" in which I painted my rendition of life stories told to me by others.

Lorena Bobbit, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Hitler...

 When you hear these names, you automatically remember one thing they have done in their lives and you automatically create a connotation for the bad or good.
What people say about us or write about us enternalizes us. Words are very potent. But no matter what our "label", we must understand that God's label is the only label that will ever truly matter.