August Art Show - “Evolve” By LeeAnn Brook

Exhibit Title: Evolve

Artist: LeeAnn Brook

Medium: Mixed Media on canvas

LeeAnn Brook’s show, “Evolve,” enables her viewers to unwind, let go of any need for interpretation, and just be present with the experience. Brook’s paintings soothe the soul with a symphony of color, lines that accentuate the continuum of motion, and brush strokes reminiscent of a flowing contemporary Japanese calligraphy style. In all aspects of these recent paintings, we can find Brook’s forte, an ever-present, luminous, uplifting quality, which brings a feeling that we are all evolving.

Artist Statement: Evolving Into Abstract

“The nature of my most recent work is all about letting go and letting paint move throughout the canvas. My color palette continues to evolve, as does a looser, more free brush stroke that also includes variation in line and form. My interest has definitely shifted towards the abstract, with a subtle bow to nature, as each painting has become a stepping stone to the next. Art is always in a constant state of change, and I love the challenge of abstract.”

One of the featured paintings in the show, titled “Profusion,” is just back from a national juried show at the Marin Museum of Contemporary Art. The evocative painting, reminiscent of a California field in bloom, is a mixed media utilizing acrylic, charcoal, and inks on heavy-duty watercolor paper and framed under glass.  

About the Artist

LeeAnn Brook’s career as a fine artist for over 30 years is all about evolution. She believes that an artist’s work should constantly be shifting and changing in order to keep the creative spirit alive. “Evolve” features her most recent paintings that explore the abstract, a natural evolution for Brook.

Brook graduated from Paier College of Art near New Haven, Connecticut in 1973 with a double major in fine art and graphic design. She has exhibited in shows and galleries throughout New York, New England, and California. Brook is a five-time award winner in the California State Fair and a four-time winner in the nationally recognized Wild & Scenic Film Festival’s juried art competition, including Best Of 2D in 2018. She is also in the permanent collection at Kaiser Permanente in Sacramento, U. C. Davis Medical Center, and Sutter Health in Roseville, CA. She was also awarded the Dr. Leland and Sally Lewis Visual Artist award from the Nevada City Chamber of Commerce in 2015.

Brook was one of the first artists to exhibit at Nevada City Winery in 2005 and designed the original Nevada City Winery logo.