If you’re like me, you have a huge plastic storage bin full of spiral-bound notebooks gathering dust in the closet. Some are scrawled with “keep out,” while others are covered in old funny pages ripped from the newspaper. The difference between me and artist Nadya Brown—among other things—is this: One, she never stopped journaling; and two, she happily shares those journal pages with the world.
Brown will showcase her latest exhibition—Travels, Illustrations, Journals: Mexico, France, Italy, England, Cambodia, Thailand, Burma, and Laos—at Flying Goat Cellars in Lompoc through Jan. 31. The exhibition, which debuted last week, is exactly what it sounds like: illustrated journal entries showcasing the artist’s exotic travels in all their colorful, autobiographical glory. The works aren’t perfect—but therein lies their unmistakable immediacy.
“These images were not initiated with the idea of a gallery exhibition, as they were in spiral-bound notebooks, but when finished, I received encouragement to show them,” Brown said. “My students were also huge supporters of showing the work.”
The Santa Barbara resident currently teaches part time in the Community Education Program for Allan Hancock College in Santa Maria. The pieces were written and illustrated over an eight-year period of travels, and each group is reprinted in color, complete with spiral binding. Each entry is mounted in the order in which it was completed.
“Some are photographic in style; others loose and more fanciful, relying on repetitive shapes and patterns for interest,” Brown said. “Although not planned, the juxtaposition of images sometimes offers an intriguing cross-cultural resonance, as well as interesting correspondences of color and composition.”
Born and educated in England, Brown moved to the U.S. in 1969, receiving her MFA at Ohio University. Since then, she’s taught at a number of academic institutions, including Murray State University in Kentucky, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Millersville State University in Pennsylvania, and Montclair State University in New Jersey. When she’s not teaching, the artist is playing with acrylic, watercolor, and printmaking media.
Of all her travels, Southeast Asia might serve as the artist’s most powerful geographical muse. It all started with Brown’s first trip to Cambodia in 2008. She went to visit friends and left with a passion project. Inspired by the culture’s love of bright colors and shimmering gold, Brown allowed the land to speak through her own journaled artwork.
One page in particular shows the incredible joy of traveling outside your country—and your comfort zone. It depicts a beautiful gold temple rising from jungle foliage. Intricate decorations adorn the structure, and it shines with an exoticism and allure that stirs the imagination.
“It was so different there, and that’s why I decided to keep a journal,” Brown said. “I illustrated the entries, and it all just evolved from there.”
Because each page is displayed in a linear fashion, both across the wall and across time, viewers are invited to go on this cultural journey with Brown.
It’s not uncommon to get lost within the artist’s narrative, even if most of the paintings depict everyday life events.
“You get a much different experience than if you were reading them page by page,” Brown said. “People have enjoyed seeing how some of the images have a way of speaking to each other.”
Hayley Thomas won’t let anyone near her notebooks for good reason. Reach her at hthomas@newtimesslo.com.
This article appears in Dec 17-24, 2015.
