David Brown graduated from the Ontario College of Art and Design in 1992 completing a double major in Graphic and Industrial Design. He was also an Industrial Design faculty member from 1996 to 2006. From 1992-2006 David operated an award winning product design studio. The products he designed have been sold across North America, and his work has been published in books and magazines throughout Canada and the United States. The Design Exchange, in Toronto, honoured David’s work in “Type Culture”, an exhibit of top designers chosen for their pivotal influence on Canadian Typography. In recent years, David Brown has turned in his computer for a paintbrush and paints full-time. David’s abstract compositions have won several awards and have been shown at numerous galleries and museums throughout Canada and the U.S.. His paintings are held in private and corporate collections, across North America, Europe, and Asia. Active in Toronto’s creative community, David is the founder and managing director of Toronto’s SpeakEasy events at the Gladstone Hotel. David lives in downtown Toronto and works in his studio located in the historic Distillery District.

 

 

Artists Statement

My work is an exploration of colour, form, texture and medium. Most importantly though, it is a reflection of the environments that surround me. Each abstract composition captures moments of the Canadian experience. Urban culture and chaos juxtapose the breathtaking vistas of our rugged geography. Defining this landscape is to strike a balance between daily life as an urban nation against a majestic backdrop of natural splendour. I am inspired by the vastness and solitude of our land, and equally fascinated by human expression in the urban context.

My process begins with simple penciled symbols inspired by children’s drawings and primitive cultural icons. Drawn elements become seeds for my paintings as I sculpt varied surfaces on the canvas. The encaustic medium allows me to encapsulate found objects and to play with transparency. The entire process is physically demanding and stimulating to all the senses.

Initially it is the colours and textures that draw people to my work. Next the very act of seeing becomes all-consuming. Pigments glow from within the wax and images start to dance on the canvas. Perception changes as the audience shifts in physical proximity to the work. Different layers emerge and recede so the viewer is challenged to look from the outside inward and from the inside outward. Many people say these paintings evoke a child’s whimsy. For me they represent an important visual bridge for the emotional growth we all experience, embrace or endure