Colin Brown's mixed media paintings are a fascinating blend of pseudo-chaos
and absolute control. His densely packed compositions of found images, attention
grabbing headlines, advertising logos and paint splatter are so finely tuned that
they manage to achieve something truly miraculous. Rather than a surface
bombardment of imagery and text the mind actually slows down and moves into
the work. The fluid process of collage has allowed the artist the highest degree of
structure in the composition.
The overall balance in the work encourages the viewer to be still and consider
each element, colour, form and word association as the eye is lead into the
layered surface. The "busy" facade is deceptive and insightful, displaying a greater
understanding of the dynamics of Pop Art and Dada than simple imitation or repetition.
Brown's work offers an alternative to the multitude of images and text that demand
our attention on a daily basis, reinventing them as a mechanism for thought rather
than consumption. Viewing the artist's work feels like a journey rather than instant
gratification - which is the real source of its potency.
Georgina Coburn
Exhibition Review, July 2008.
With their layerings and overpainting, Colin Brown's works suggest concealed,
even riddlesome messages. Through a coating of dark varnish something archaic
is suggested in many compositions, even though the pictorial components clearly
derive from the present.
Prof. Dr. David Galloway
Curator and Critic
Flash Art Magazine