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Alicia Brown (born 1981, St. Ann, Jamaica) is a contemporary realist oil painter. She holds a BFA in Painting, a diploma in Art Education from Edna Manley College of the Visual Performing Arts, and an MFA in Painting from the New York Academy of Art, New York. Brown’s practice examines the concept of mimicry found in nature and applies it to the human world, elaborating on the historical tensions of colonization, appropriation, class and self-agency. Referencing the history of portraiture, her work incorporates both traditional and contemporary paint languages addressing the notions of adaptation, visibility, and hybridity as they relate to the formation of identity. Alicia was one of the winners of the Dawn Scott Memorial Award in the Jamaica Biennial 2017. She is a recipient of two Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation Grants 2019 and 2021; Joan Brady Grant 2013, and LCU Foundation Grants 2012 and 2014. She has participated in numerous group shows in Jamaica, U.S., and Europe. She has had a solo show at Studio 174 in Kingston, Jamaica 2016 and Virago Gallery, Seattle Washington 2019. Her work has been featured in Beautiful Bizarre magazine, American Art Collector, Painting the Figure Now 2019 magazine, SHOUT MIAMI magazine, ARTIT voice of Artists Magazine, Caribbean Quarterly Journal, and other publications. Her work is in notable collections such as the Bennet Collection of Women Realists and other private collections.
Published on March 23rd, 2022. Artist responses collected in months previous.
What are you currently excited about in your art practice?
I am currently working on a new body of work for a solo exhibition with UUU Art Collective in January 2022. This will be my first solo show in New York so I am really looking forward to the event. It has been a very interesting, exciting and challenging process making the work. The main subjects in the new series are all family members and males. It's a temporary shift from previous work that focused on and representing females in my work. I have been researching and exploring issues such as mental illness and the trend of suicide among young men and trying to find the root causes and society's input. I have not explored these issues before in my work but I felt I needed to as a result of traumatic experiences my nephew suffered and is still affected by. I am more aware of my approach to these works mainly because they are so personal but the issues are universal. I am enjoying the research aspect of creating the work as well.
What were some of the challenges you faced last year as an artist? Was your work/ art practice affected by the pandemic this year, if so how?
I faced numerous challenges last year that lingered into this year. Personal struggles, as well as the pandemic, have affected the way I worked, there were moments of hopelessness where it was extremely difficult to make work. The pandemic has affected and still impact the sale of work as well as opportunities to exhibit my work. Even though I have a good presence on social media platforms such as Instagram where I have been selling most of my work, the sales have been slow to the point where I was worried about being able to pay my bills and take care of my son. This year, 2021, I have been more productive and feeling more hopeful about the future and my art practice.
What does a typical day in the studio (or wherever you're making work) look like for you these days? What time of day are you at your studio, what are your studio must haves (ex: music, coffee, tools, etc), and what does your creative space look like?
A typical day in the studio, which is in the garage at home, starts around 10am to 2pm. My studio time is scheduled around my son who is almost 3 years old. Some days I get to paint for 1 hour and sometimes 6 hrs depending on the mostly motherly duties that I have to get done on that day.
My studio space is not the ideal working space but I make do with what I have for now. To keep my mind from the distractions in the studio I must have music when I am working, I realize I get more work done when I work with music playing.
What resources for artists have you found helpful that may be helpful for other artists?
Most of the resources for artists that I have been following and looking at recently are the ones that provide information on residencies and art exhibitions and grants. Also, I listen to artists' podcasts to learn about how other artists approach their practice which includes, process, technical approach and, production, the business of selling their work, and how they talk about their work.
Here is a list that I hope will be helpful to other artists:
CaFE - CallForEntry.org
Artwork Archive
NYFA Immigrant Artist Program
Lower Manhattan Cultural Council
Hopper Prize
Sustainable Arts
Art Podcasts:
Johndalton.me
artgrindpodcast
artandbspodcast
What in your art career are you looking forward to in the upcoming year? Do you have any specific goals or projects in mind?
For the upcoming year, I am looking forward to the opening of my solo show with UUU Art Collective, Rochester New York in January 2022. I am looking forward to my work showing in an Exhibition in my home country Jamaica in the coming year. I would love to be interviewed and have my work featured in more influential art magazines. One of my goals for the future is to have a solo museum show and to participate in the Venice or Beijing biennial. I would love to have my work in the collection of museums worldwide. I am looking forward to making more sales of my work as I grow my business to the point where I can assist other artists in my country.
What are you currently excited about in your art practice?
I am currently working on a new body of work for a solo exhibition with UUU Art Collective in January 2022. This will be my first solo show in New York so I am really looking forward to the event. It has been a very interesting, exciting and challenging process making the work. The main subjects in the new series are all family members and males. It's a temporary shift from previous work that focused on and representing females in my work. I have been researching and exploring issues such as mental illness and the trend of suicide among young men and trying to find the root causes and society's input. I have not explored these issues before in my work but I felt I needed to as a result of traumatic experiences my nephew suffered and is still affected by. I am more aware of my approach to these works mainly because they are so personal but the issues are universal. I am enjoying the research aspect of creating the work as well.
What were some of the challenges you faced last year as an artist? Was your work/ art practice affected by the pandemic this year, if so how?
I faced numerous challenges last year that lingered into this year. Personal struggles, as well as the pandemic, have affected the way I worked, there were moments of hopelessness where it was extremely difficult to make work. The pandemic has affected and still impact the sale of work as well as opportunities to exhibit my work. Even though I have a good presence on social media platforms such as Instagram where I have been selling most of my work, the sales have been slow to the point where I was worried about being able to pay my bills and take care of my son. This year, 2021, I have been more productive and feeling more hopeful about the future and my art practice.
What does a typical day in the studio (or wherever you're making work) look like for you these days? What time of day are you at your studio, what are your studio must haves (ex: music, coffee, tools, etc), and what does your creative space look like?
A typical day in the studio, which is in the garage at home, starts around 10am to 2pm. My studio time is scheduled around my son who is almost 3 years old. Some days I get to paint for 1 hour and sometimes 6 hrs depending on the mostly motherly duties that I have to get done on that day.
My studio space is not the ideal working space but I make do with what I have for now. To keep my mind from the distractions in the studio I must have music when I am working, I realize I get more work done when I work with music playing.
What resources for artists have you found helpful that may be helpful for other artists?
Most of the resources for artists that I have been following and looking at recently are the ones that provide information on residencies and art exhibitions and grants. Also, I listen to artists' podcasts to learn about how other artists approach their practice which includes, process, technical approach and, production, the business of selling their work, and how they talk about their work.
Here is a list that I hope will be helpful to other artists:
CaFE - CallForEntry.org
Artwork Archive
NYFA Immigrant Artist Program
Lower Manhattan Cultural Council
Hopper Prize
Sustainable Arts
Art Podcasts:
Johndalton.me
artgrindpodcast
artandbspodcast
What in your art career are you looking forward to in the upcoming year? Do you have any specific goals or projects in mind?
For the upcoming year, I am looking forward to the opening of my solo show with UUU Art Collective, Rochester New York in January 2022. I am looking forward to my work showing in an Exhibition in my home country Jamaica in the coming year. I would love to be interviewed and have my work featured in more influential art magazines. One of my goals for the future is to have a solo museum show and to participate in the Venice or Beijing biennial. I would love to have my work in the collection of museums worldwide. I am looking forward to making more sales of my work as I grow my business to the point where I can assist other artists in my country.
Find Alicia Brown on Instagram
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