“Horizon 2”, 1977

James Brown

“Horizon 2”, 1977

Acrylic on cartridge paper backed on canvas

Size: 51.4 x 69.2 cm

At the time I made this painting in 1977, I was grappling with the dominant trends in art like Abstract Minimalism, Colour Field Painting, and Performance Art. My interest in landscape painting felt dated and conceptually thin, overshadowed by these movements that seemed to have eclipsed the things I valued most: the thrill of expressing a pictorial subject through the expressive power of brushstrokes and colour.

My solution, as demonstrated in this painting, was a reductive approach to landscape. I simplified the scene down to a horizon line, focusing on a schematic representation of a headland, emphasizing the emotional impact of the landscape's form and light.

“Landscape with Figures”, 1977

James Brown

“Landscape with Figures”, 1977

Acrylic with pencil on Arches paper backed on canvas

Size: 42.5 x 60 cm

Revisiting this painting, created almost five decades ago, offers a fascinating glimpse into my development. As a part-time instructor at Brisbane's College of Art, I was on the cusp of a significant career change. Just a year later, in 1978, I secured a full-time position at Townsville College of TAFE. This seemingly straightforward piece held a pivotal role in this transition, as it caught the eye of the College of Art's head, ultimately contributing to my appointment the following year.

More than just a painting, it represents a synthesis of artistic influences that deeply shaped my practice. Drawing inspiration from three key figures—Godfrey Miller, John Passmore and Ian Fairweather—I sought to absorb their distinctive approaches. I absorbed Miller's structured layering of strokes and rhythms, and his evocative use of spatial ambiguity. Passmore's direct handling of paint, and interplay of masses, became integral to my process. Finally, I adopted Fairweather's limited palette of earthy tones and his almost calligraphic brushstrokes. This painting, therefore, stands as a testament to the amalgamation of these influences, a critical juncture in my artistic evolution.

“Bush Trail, Cranbrook”, 2025

James Brown

“Bush Trail, Cranbrook”, 2025

Oil on canvas

Size: 25 x 35 cm

This small painting carries a rich history that began on an outdoor painting expedition with my good friend, Ron McBurnie. We selected our painting site in a narrow stretch of bushland nestled between Townsville’s Ross River and a row of nearby houses, just a short stroll from the riverbank. This area, best described as a nature strip, serves as a sanctuary for wallabies, brush-turkeys, snakes, and even ticks, and is punctuated by a shallow creek.

Initially, my goal was to create a drawing of the surrounding trees using only Burnt Sienna ink on the canvas. Armed with twigs and bits of bark as makeshift drawing tools, I aimed to capture a raw, organic representation of the landscape. However, my initial attempts fell short of my expectations; the marks felt more perfunctory than expressive, and the occasional splatters of ink were simply unfortunate rather than beautiful acts of serendipity. Rather than abandoning the project, I chose to rework the ink stage by layering oil colour, allowing the painting to evolve through a series of revisions. Interestingly, traces of the original ink drawing remain visible, particularly on the left side of the canvas.