Western Morning News (Saturday)
Be inspired by light and colour at new Balance exhibition
IN his new exhibition Balance Jerry Browning presents a wonderfully strong collection of new work which vibrates with raw energy and exudes light and positivity, an element which is so vital for us all, especially in current times.
These huge canvases are packed with colour and texture, with strong shapes and form which balance beautifully with each other creating works which are enticing, uplifting and captivating. This is seen particularly in Harmony in Red and Unity.
Jerry Browning said: “When people ask me what I am trying to convey through my paintings, I find it hard to put any answer into words. For me each painting needs to speak for itself. The colours evoke emotions which have a personal, elemental context.
“I don’t paint to inform the reaction in others. I just paint what I feel and hope that others feel something too.”
Born in Dorset in 1954 Browning left school at 16 to study at first Exeter then Reading Colleges of Art where he painted with Sir Terry Frost and Patrick Heron, gaining First Class degrees in Fine Art. He went on to paint alongside English contemporary abstract painters Patrick Proctor, Bert Irvin, Adrian Heath and Gillian Ayres.
He was a founder member of Spacex Studios in Exeter and helped to convert the old warehouse into art studios and a gallery which remain in use to this day. While visiting his family in America he was struck by the ground-breaking new art of Mark Rothko, Willem de Kooning, Franz Kline and Robert Montgomery, which became a major influence on his own style of painting. Back in the UK he settled for a while in St Ives before moving on to the West coast of Ireland and then Morocco, where he attracted the attention of Patrick Guerrand-Hermes, of the House of Hermes, who became a collector of his work.
Back in the UK Browning has exhibited at the Brownston Gallery every year since his first show An Abstract View in 2014 which was an outstanding success, and set the bar for future shows.
I don’t paint to inform the reaction in others. I just paint what I feel and hope that others feel something too JERRY BROWNING
Each year Browning has produced new work that is bold, innovative and always thought provoking. This year, in the gallery’s tenth year, it seems appropriate to include a retrospective featuring a number of works from past exhibitions which are still as fresh as they were when first shown.
Together with this year’s new work this collection presents a superb exhibition which showcases the full range of this accomplished artist’s outstanding talent.
Balance opens on Sunday, September 4 and runs to Saturday, September 24.
Please contact The Brownston Gallery for further information on 01548 831338, email art@brownstonart.com or visit www.brownstonart.com.