Loved both the Joan Brown 'Self Portrait'--those latex gloves!--pure genius--and your own painting of the crocheting woman--her sweater! The couch! The wallpaper! I feel the heart all through this painting. I too, am obsessed with sincerity in art, and agree that so much of the 'elite' artworld is missing this key component. Art is about being alive!
I know! I'm obsessed with the symbolism of fish in her work...It feels like she's been reaching into the depths of her subconscious and is showing us her prized catch. I often forget that paintings can be joyful and always return to her when I need a reminder :)
Such a great observation about the fish! It made me look at the painting again. Really, the whole thing is genius--that red background, her paintbrush, the paint stained pants, her cat...the way she painted her own flesh tones. YES!
Thank you for the introduction to Joan Brown, whose self-portrait beautifully complements your own work. You have sent me on a Joan Brown journey, and I see that she turned away from her own brand of realism to spirituality. Only 52 when she died. What a loss.
Thank you! I know...I can't help but wonder what she would have gone on to make and achieve. Luckily she was quite prolific in her short life and left us plenty of art to enjoy :)
This piece makes me think of other outsider artists who were self-taught, painting through their pain, and finding themselves in their art. I am much more drawn to authentic, unpretentious art. And this type of art often has very little curb appeal. I have spent most of my career as a mother and art facilitator in drop-ins, family centers and healing circles. Using art as a method of self-discovery and expression. The stories I could tell are endless.
There aren’t enough lifetimes to show the power of art and love for those who are the most discarded in our ableist society.
I'd love to hear those stories! I very much agree. I find that kind of work so much more compelling than art that is trying too hard to replicate this reality. Art can--and should--be fun!
Your paragraph touching on artists' relationship with social media algorithms really resonated with me as I work to set healthier boundaries with social media. It's also why I can't stand the proliferation of short video everywhere. There's virtually no time to delve into a topic at depth, and short videos must be instantly attention-grabbing, or else they'll slide into the ether. It's just gross.
Agree with you so much! I’ve had mixed feelings about video on Substack notes, but I mostly feel like I’m getting pulled back into the vortex of media I’ve been trying to escape 😂
Omg Jeremy I LOVE your paintings!!!! Great post. Genuine authenticity is so rare today that it almost feels like a radical act. I'm grateful to have found a little corner of the internet that is so committed to art, authenticity, and thinking deeply about art. Cheers 💕
I like what you say about sincerity in art being almost a radical act. To me, sincerity is closely linked to self-acceptance. And self-acceptance can be really hard to achieve. Which is why it’s so moving to encounter this sort of art (music, literature etc).
...preach and keep preaching...share and keep sharing...sincerity is a tough hill when you are making art to be seen as art, but when you are just making it, and it is seen, voila, the snap...also i know i just said you but pretty sure i meant me...daydreaming about a world where we no longer see the media as social (just like the good old days when kids stuck stickers to the wall that said kill your tv)...i was thinking of ways we might make this social media site (substack) better...step one, no more just like or comment, but maybe hand drawn personalized emojis...i don't know...maybe the machine is unfixable...anyhow i think your project merging outreach and collaboration to a physical thing shared digitally is one way to defeat the algorithm...find real people and do real things...i am thinking of starting an app called "" that requires all users to put there phone away and talk to whomever is next to them...maybe even draw...you can find my app anywhere you can find real people...thanks so much for sharing Joan Brown...was unfamiliar but find her story to be delightfully inspirational (albeit poetically tragic and wild)...great painting too...thank you...
Thanks! Yes it’s so hard to engage with people in a meaningful way. I’ve been meaning to watch your music video btw I promise I’ll get to it! Everything is just so overwhelming. Joan Brown was native to San Francisco and the painting with the fish is at the SFMOMA if you ever feel compelled to go see it!!
...so overdue to get to the moma (just spent the past four days walking past it for work lol) so that is a great reason if nothing else...totally agree on the overwhelm...i have been doing a lot of wind listening on hikes recently and it has been a bit of a calming success...but i could use like 4000 more days of that...
Thanks for writing this. I’m resonating with several themes here, but don’t have words at the moment. I’ve also fallen down a rabbit hole from this wonderful Klee book and ordered the book it’s published in. Thanks for that. 🐇
I love that Joan Brown painting! A year ago, when I moved into the little cottage I live in now (and attained for the first time in my life a modicum of autonomy in my living arrangements, after decades of living in flats, cohabiting with large, ever-changing configurations of flatmates) I experienced a burst of inspiration and creativity, and subsequently wrote this piece about that experience, and about the intersection of economics and art:
Loved both the Joan Brown 'Self Portrait'--those latex gloves!--pure genius--and your own painting of the crocheting woman--her sweater! The couch! The wallpaper! I feel the heart all through this painting. I too, am obsessed with sincerity in art, and agree that so much of the 'elite' artworld is missing this key component. Art is about being alive!
I know! I'm obsessed with the symbolism of fish in her work...It feels like she's been reaching into the depths of her subconscious and is showing us her prized catch. I often forget that paintings can be joyful and always return to her when I need a reminder :)
Such a great observation about the fish! It made me look at the painting again. Really, the whole thing is genius--that red background, her paintbrush, the paint stained pants, her cat...the way she painted her own flesh tones. YES!
Thank you for the introduction to Joan Brown, whose self-portrait beautifully complements your own work. You have sent me on a Joan Brown journey, and I see that she turned away from her own brand of realism to spirituality. Only 52 when she died. What a loss.
Thank you! I know...I can't help but wonder what she would have gone on to make and achieve. Luckily she was quite prolific in her short life and left us plenty of art to enjoy :)
This piece makes me think of other outsider artists who were self-taught, painting through their pain, and finding themselves in their art. I am much more drawn to authentic, unpretentious art. And this type of art often has very little curb appeal. I have spent most of my career as a mother and art facilitator in drop-ins, family centers and healing circles. Using art as a method of self-discovery and expression. The stories I could tell are endless.
There aren’t enough lifetimes to show the power of art and love for those who are the most discarded in our ableist society.
I'd love to hear those stories! I very much agree. I find that kind of work so much more compelling than art that is trying too hard to replicate this reality. Art can--and should--be fun!
Your paragraph touching on artists' relationship with social media algorithms really resonated with me as I work to set healthier boundaries with social media. It's also why I can't stand the proliferation of short video everywhere. There's virtually no time to delve into a topic at depth, and short videos must be instantly attention-grabbing, or else they'll slide into the ether. It's just gross.
Agree with you so much! I’ve had mixed feelings about video on Substack notes, but I mostly feel like I’m getting pulled back into the vortex of media I’ve been trying to escape 😂
Omg Jeremy I LOVE your paintings!!!! Great post. Genuine authenticity is so rare today that it almost feels like a radical act. I'm grateful to have found a little corner of the internet that is so committed to art, authenticity, and thinking deeply about art. Cheers 💕
Yes, the fish. I use watery imagery in most of my posts for Writers Daily Dive, it's necessary to dive under.
I like what you say about sincerity in art being almost a radical act. To me, sincerity is closely linked to self-acceptance. And self-acceptance can be really hard to achieve. Which is why it’s so moving to encounter this sort of art (music, literature etc).
...preach and keep preaching...share and keep sharing...sincerity is a tough hill when you are making art to be seen as art, but when you are just making it, and it is seen, voila, the snap...also i know i just said you but pretty sure i meant me...daydreaming about a world where we no longer see the media as social (just like the good old days when kids stuck stickers to the wall that said kill your tv)...i was thinking of ways we might make this social media site (substack) better...step one, no more just like or comment, but maybe hand drawn personalized emojis...i don't know...maybe the machine is unfixable...anyhow i think your project merging outreach and collaboration to a physical thing shared digitally is one way to defeat the algorithm...find real people and do real things...i am thinking of starting an app called "" that requires all users to put there phone away and talk to whomever is next to them...maybe even draw...you can find my app anywhere you can find real people...thanks so much for sharing Joan Brown...was unfamiliar but find her story to be delightfully inspirational (albeit poetically tragic and wild)...great painting too...thank you...
Thanks! Yes it’s so hard to engage with people in a meaningful way. I’ve been meaning to watch your music video btw I promise I’ll get to it! Everything is just so overwhelming. Joan Brown was native to San Francisco and the painting with the fish is at the SFMOMA if you ever feel compelled to go see it!!
...so overdue to get to the moma (just spent the past four days walking past it for work lol) so that is a great reason if nothing else...totally agree on the overwhelm...i have been doing a lot of wind listening on hikes recently and it has been a bit of a calming success...but i could use like 4000 more days of that...
Thanks for writing this. I’m resonating with several themes here, but don’t have words at the moment. I’ve also fallen down a rabbit hole from this wonderful Klee book and ordered the book it’s published in. Thanks for that. 🐇
Thank you so much for this! I really enjoyed the way you wrote about Joan Brown and weaved it into your own work.
Thank you for your kind words! Very intrigued by your newsletter also. Can't wait to read your work : )
I love that Joan Brown painting! A year ago, when I moved into the little cottage I live in now (and attained for the first time in my life a modicum of autonomy in my living arrangements, after decades of living in flats, cohabiting with large, ever-changing configurations of flatmates) I experienced a burst of inspiration and creativity, and subsequently wrote this piece about that experience, and about the intersection of economics and art:
https://rosiewhinray.substack.com/p/of-hopeful-green-stuff-woven
Looking forward to seeing more of your work!
Hi Rosie! So sorry I'm just seeing this. Thanks for sharing your work, i'll check it out!