Jazz Brown

October 21, 2019

Jazz Brown is an artist working in geometric abstraction but with a softer, more painterly bent than typical. Throughout his paintings cosmic themes reign supreme as colorful shapes emerge and collide. As a child, Jazz dreamed of making art but says "later I got sidetracked by life. I was told it wasn't a viable living and gave up on it." He has now been painting for the last 13 years after an initial investment in supplies. "I told myself if I didn't paint I'd wasted 200 bucks," he says. After exploring text in his paintings he has now moved to pure abstraction and says that since moving to a smaller studio the work has become more explosive--- "explosive on a cosmic scale, the same way a star would explode."

Looking at the World Without Time, acrylic on canvas, 2019

In Looking at the World Without Time we see kaleidoscopic shapes in subdued tones bordered by brighter hues. The shapes, in red and blue, intersect and interact, changing each other where they meet. It's an apt metaphor for the ways in which time is displaced by photo and video, and further warped by the instantaneity of the internet.

Off the Psychological Path, acrylic on panel, 2019

The Curse of Not Now, acrylic and paper on canvas, 2019

The Curse of Not Now is a monochrome composition in blue, thick with intersecting circles. The predominance of circles here and in much of Jazz's work stands in contrast to most geometric abstraction which deals largely in straight lines and right angles. Curves and circles are the language of life and existence— from cells to the cosmos. Jazz often begins with a black underpainting he relates to the cosmos, and works the painting up from there, with each layer functioning as a projection. Much like his paintings, he says, "Existence is a projection."

Pride is Never Enough, acrylic on canvas, 2019

Opposites Distract, acrylic on canvas, 2019

Impersonal Space, acrylic on canvas, 2019

Impersonal Space shows us a painterly, ethereal composition with little to no outlining. In his earlier text-based work, the words functioned as 'things.' But lately he's moved away from text because the abstractions are functioning much in the same way. As he says, "the shapes are thinging now."

Unmanned, acrylic on canvas, 2019

Jazz is represented by the recently opened J. Rinehart gallery in Seattle. Their inaugural exhibition, Introductions, is on view now until November 9. Check it out if you can and be sure to follow Jazz to keep up! @beingjazzbrown