Artists to Watch | Krystal W. Brown - Southwest Art Magazine

Finding her voice

Krystal W. Brown, Nightwatch, oil, 12 x 12.

This story was featured in the September 2020 issue of Southwest Art magazine. Get the Southwest Art September 2020 print issue or digital download now–then subscribe to Southwest Art and never miss another story.

GROWING UP AS the youngest of seven children, Krystal W. Brown often felt like an outsider among her older siblings. She tried to fit in and even wore the same clothing styles they did to look more like them. Despite her best efforts, though, she still found herself spending a lot of time alone. “Creating art was a way for me to self-soothe,” says Brown, who got her first peek into the fine-art world when her mother took her along to some art classes. “I was fascinated,” she says.

: Krystal W. Brown, Bay Side Ride, oil, 16 x 12.

: Krystal W. Brown, Burns Cold and Hot, oil, 16 x 12.

: Krystal W. Brown, Channel View, oil, 12 x 6.

By the time she reached high school, the Wyoming native was painting people’s portraits and selling her work. She went on to earn a fine-art degree at the University of Montana. “For a long time, portraiture was my focus,” says Brown. “Painting portraits was a way for me to not have to share my opinions or myself. It became my hiding ground.”

Today Brown’s art is the opposite, providing a way to share her voice. Now living in Spring, TX, the award-winning painter remains an avid portrait artist, but she’s also passionate about working en plein air. “I love painting people and having that interaction,” she says, “but plein-air painting is what fuels my spirit and my soul.” Indeed, being outdoors instills in Brown a heightened fervor for painting—even in less-than-favorable conditions. The artist recalls creating NIGHTWATCH during the Plein Air Grand Marais event last fall. It was a clear but frigid Minnesota evening on the North Shore of Lake Superior. “I had a seat warmer in my car, and I’d periodically go in there to warm up,” she chuckles. Eventually, she adds, “I couldn’t paint anymore.” The artist snapped a photograph of her work—propped on her pochade box, the paint still wet—and called it a night. The nocturne, featuring a small white boat aglow in a harbor’s lamplight, garnered third place in the October/November PleinAir Salon.

: Krystal W. Brown, Cranes and Grains, oil, 12 x 6.

: Krystal W. Brown, Floating, oil, 12 x 6.

: Krystal W. Brown, Gare á Paris, oil, 20 x 16.

“It’s very important to share my voice now,” says Brown, describing her plein-air style as visceral and energetic. Her portraiture has become much looser, in turn, with “a lot of abstract passages,” she notes. “Now I’m coming into my own. My work is connecting with people who want more spirit, more light, more beauty.” A quote in Brown’s email signature sums up her philosophy best: “Someone needs what you will bring to the world. Why keep them waiting?” —Kim Agricola

representation
Marta Stafford Fine Art, Marble Falls, TX; www.krystalbrownfineart.com.