Born into an Army family, Dean Brown grew up moving from place to place—his father from Massachusetts and his mother from South Carolina, he jokes that he was raised “in a cultural Civil War.” Despite all the travel, Dean has always identified as a Southerner, a connection reflected in his choice of Southern colleges for his higher education.
After thirty-four years teaching art, Dean is now retired, continuing to learn from the people and experiences that inspire him daily to see the world with fresh eyes. When he’s not painting, he enjoys creating perfume—a hobby that appeals to his creative senses—and spending time with his husband and their dog.
Statement
The times we live in are fraught with complexity. I have witnessed moments when I believed we were healing, slowly stitching together the torn fabric of our collective and personal selves. Yet now I feel that our needle and thread no longer hold with the same strength, as new tensions pull at old seams. The elasticity we once relied upon feels worn, and I mourn what is coming undone. Through painting, I seek to explore these fragile states—the mysteries embedded in ordinary life, the quiet ache of existence, and the bewildering beauty of consciousness itself. Art becomes both a means of inquiry and a way to tend to what can no longer be sutured.