Artist Statement
Melanie P. Brown presents work rooted in her long-standing practice of painting in direct response to sound and music. Since 2020, Brown’s process has centered on live and recorded sound as a catalyst for color, gesture, and mark-making. Preparing extensive palettes and integrating pastel and charcoal, she translates rhythm, texture, and spatial perception into layered compositions. Brown frequently performs live painting in collaboration with musicians, treating the act of painting as a time-based, multisensory event. The resulting canvases function as residual records of these four-dimensional collaborations. Brown lives and works in Chicago and holds a BA from Knox College and an MFA in Painting from American University.
Bio
Melanie P. Brown (b. 1972) is an exhibiting painter and teaching artist living and working in Chicago, IL. by way of Colrain, Mass. and Tulsa, OK. Melanie has performed live painting during collaborations with Ryan Ingebritsen, Jeff Yang, Eric Mahle, and the Ursa Ensemble. She also performs live painting regularly during concerts at Fulton Street Collective. A long time teacher and former program director at Lillstreet Art Center, Melanie has been painting and teaching for 19 years in Chicago alongside children and adults of all ages. Melanie holds a BA from Knox College in Galesburg, IL and an MFA in Painting from The American University in Washington, DC.
Copyright 2015