Colin Brown

From Illustration to Fine Art

Colin Brown originally worked as an illustrator straight after his four year degree at the Canterbury College of Art. Applying his great talent for the visual arts in this way, he had a successful career in freelance illustration for some 24 years, working with clients such as Cadbury, Saga and Corgi Toys. His work as an illustrator then took him into the world of publishing, where he worked on a number of different projects, including The Guinness Book of World Records. Colin, however, decided after this long career to pursue his most deep of passions, which is fine art.

Impressionist Style Original Paintings

Alongside taking on commissions and working on his own personally conceived ideas, Colin also teaches fine art workshops and gives live demonstrations. He says that his time spent as professional illustrator has fed into some of his practices and preoccupations as an artist. In particular, his work as a visualiser, he has said, informs his artistic process. This combines with an ongoing fascination with the impressionistic art of Monet. On top of that, Colin is inspired by his abiding love for the Fauvist movement of the 20th century. All this blends with his own artistic vision to create what is an extremely rewarding sensory experience for the viewer of his work.

Landscapes & Street Scenes With a Focus on Light

Colin Brown starts by focusing on light. It is the exploration of how light frames a scene that is perhaps most important in his approach. As mentioned, this is always carried out with a lovely attention to the power of brush strokes. Once this moment in time starts to come to life, the atmosphere is set. Colin then tends to work upon choice details of the scene in question, such as a row of rooftops or the curve of a city bridge, so as to bring that atmosphere into a sharper focus.