David Brown

Dates: July 3rd - August 28th

Artist Statement

Dancing Trees and Stripes on Water: Interpretations of Fundy

I have always been drawn to the simple rural landscapes of New Brunswick. This exhibit tries to capture the beauty of fields and forest by the sea as well as the more dramatic cliffs of the Bay of Fundy coastline.

Starting with photos of a place or theme, I then design the composition and sometimes a sketch, and then an underpainting of blues and browns and then the colour starts. The results are never perfect and for me, it is a learning exercise by trial and error.

The fundy coast can be painted again and again with a different result every time. The light, the season, and time of day are constantly changing.

In December 2023, we hiked out to Melvin’s Beach and looked at the flower pot formation. A winter storm in January toppled the rock into the sea. I have included one of my earlier (and not my best) works depicting the flower pot.

Our world is changing and we must do our part to protect its beauty.

David is a native of Nova Scotia and attended Mount Allison University and graduated from Dalhousie Law School in Halifax in 1977. Since then he has been a resident of Saint John, New Brunswick where he pursued a career as a lawyer in labour relations.

David took up painting as a serious pastime when he retired and continues to learn and grow in his artistic pursuits. While starting in watercolour, David’s preferred medium is now oil on canvas. He is a student of Fred Harrison, well known New Brunswick artist and muralist and has benefited greatly from his mentorship. David is a founding member of the Peter Salmon Art Club, a group of artists based in St Martins which recently opened its own arts centre. He has exhibited his works in the annual Peter Salmon Art Club shows in St. Martins, Art Shows in Sussex , Hampton and Renforth and in 2023 at the Saint John Art Center as part of a show entitled “The Morning Club: Students of Fred Harrison”.

David cites artistic influences from the Maritime realist school and the Group of Seven as well as landscape artists Peter Gough, John Amos, and Kathy Dunphy.

His subject matter are landscapes and especially the natural world of forest, field, sea and shore, marshes and cliffs of the Bay of Fundy in his home province of New Brunswick which provides an endless source of inspiration.

David divides his time between Saint John and St. Martins, New Brunswick