Jeremy Brown: Exclusive Interview Part 1

There is something different about encountering an artist beside the work they created.

At Art on Paper at Jennifer Balcos Gallery in Atlanta, the evening offered that kind of proximity. The exhibition brought together a diverse group of artists working across drawing, printmaking, painting, collage, mixed media, and more, creating an environment that felt less like a formal presentation and more like an invitation to slow down, look closely, and have a conversation.

Among the artists present was Jeremy Brown, whose work immediately carried a sense of movement, reflection, and optimism.

Brown's paintings are layered with expressive marks, color, texture, and words—elements that make the work feel personal even before you know the story behind it. His approach to abstraction is not simply about what the viewer sees. There is something to be considered, remembered, and felt.

And that became apparent watching Brown interact with guests throughout the evening.

An Artist Among His Work

Brown did not feel separated from the atmosphere around his paintings. He was engaged, approachable, and willing to talk about the ideas behind the work.

That matters.

Art can sometimes create distance between the person who made it and the person standing in front of it. Brown seemed to do the opposite. His presence made the work feel more accessible—as though the paintings were part of an ongoing conversation rather than finished statements hanging silently on a wall.

His work is deeply connected to personal experience, reflection, growth, and the search for meaning. His current artist biography similarly describes a practice influenced by spirituality, philosophy, music, poetry, fashion, and the human experience.

Speaking with Brown during the exhibition, one idea came through particularly clearly: life itself becomes material.

• 

• 

• 

“In life you learn things, have moments and memories, some of these may alter your path yet you create something new.”

— Jeremy Brown

It is a fitting way to understand Brown's creative process.

The past remains present, but it does not necessarily determine what comes next.

Creating Something That Makes You Feel

There is also a generosity to Brown's intention.

His work does not seem interested in leaving the viewer with only an intellectual response. He wants the experience of looking to have an emotional effect.

“Hopefully [my work] makes people feel happy, inspired, peaceful and calming, and meditative.”

“Hopefully [my work] makes people feel happy, inspired, peaceful and calming, and meditative.”

— Jeremy Brown

That sentiment became particularly interesting when viewed within the atmosphere of Art on Paper.

The gallery was intimate. Conversations happened naturally. Guests moved between artworks, artists and one another. There was no need for the room to announce itself loudly.

The artwork did the talking.

And Brown's paintings seemed particularly suited to that environment—works that could catch your attention immediately, then reveal something else when you stayed with them a little longer.