Glenda Brown
Glenda Brown’s portraits have been described as remarkably lifelike; so much so that the people on the canvas seem to breathe. Her masterful use of light and shadow is especially effective in capturing the personality of her subject. She maintains freshness and a wonderful spontaneity in her paintings, which makes each portrait appear to have its own “life on canvas”. In her earlier days, she worked in watercolor. She joined artist groups submitting work to various art venues throughout the Mid-South and won multiple awards. Arts Uniq’, a publisher in Cookville, Tennessee contracted her and distributed Glenda’s lithographs nationally for several years. As Brown continued her studies, she also found herself transitioning from watercolor to oils and from Illustrations to portraiture. As her art began to mature, her passion began to burn deeper. Glenda took art classes from every teacher she could find, studying with Fred Burton and Fred Rawlinson at Memphis College of Art. In 1996 Glenda studied with Kathryn Manzo at Memphis College of Art in Memphis Tennessee. In1998, Glenda joined other art students with Kathryn Manzo as instructor to found the Contemporary Realist Academy – A classical atelier based on the European-academic tradition.
She studied and painted intensely for almost five years, at a pace of four nights per week. In 1998, Glenda submitted work to a national juried show in Montgomery, Alabama, winning the “Grand Prize” at the American Society of Portrait Artists. This prestigious award marked the beginning of Glenda’s portrait painting career. After years of painting on canvas, Glenda discovered the remarkable experience of painting on copper. The warm rosy color and sheen of copper blends with her beautiful style of painting both portraits and landscapes. As she researched the qualities of copper, Glenda discovered that copper, unlike canvas or wood, is a very durable support that cannot be affected by humidity or temperature. In fact, copper was used by master artists hundreds of years ago. Many of these paintings now hang in museums and are as magnificent as ever without any needed restoration. Glenda sands, grinds, cleans and cuts heavy 
gauge copper sheets for each of her paintings. Using the methods invented by the Dutch and Flemish masters, she carefully prepares the surface to receive and hold oil paints. The process is challenging, but the results are remarkable. The colors in her paintings lay close to the smooth surface with tiny sparkles of copper peeking out. The luminosity and glow of her portraits and landscapes are enhanced by exposed copper edges and handcrafted frames. Paintings on copper will last generations and are unique expressions of the fine art talents and creativity of Glenda Brown.
