Mills Brown
My studio practice has roots in my childhood in South Carolina and a fascination with stories and myths. Themes of memory and home surface throughout the work as I explore a tension between safety and danger. I am influenced by the Southern Gothic literary tradition and particularly enamored by this genre's use of the uncanny and supernatural. In recent paintings, feminine figures commune with the land and practice quiet but radical acts of self-love. Through these portraits I consider embodiment as a path towards healing. Since moving to the UK two years ago, the properties of British light - particularly the drastic changes in light through the seasons - have begun to influence my work. With a focus on nature and seasonal shifts, my work has also become about fertility, and acceptance of the cyclical nature of being.
