Verna Brown is setting up a tent and showing her artistic stuff 鈥� to strangers.
will be a new experience for her, although she has attended the arts festival for many years, first as a spectator, then helping someone else.
Last year, she helped Freda of Zealous Arts put on her display.
This year, Brown decided to set her own course. It will be the first time that people outside of her circle of family and friends will be invited to an open display of her paintings.
鈥淚鈥檓 just excited to be showing my art in public,鈥� Brown said, 鈥渁nd getting opinions about it from strangers.鈥�
Completely self-taught as an artist, she is eager to hear what those strangers have to say, eager to learn more.
She has been trying out some watercolours, but her 鈥済o to鈥� medium is acrylic on canvas.
She hasn鈥檛 taken any lessons 鈥� yet 鈥� just used a lot of Google to discover colours and styles.
There has been no conscious effort to emulate any artists or schools.
鈥淚 take a little from a lot of people.鈥�
Brown started with charcoal, then tried colour pastels. Her current work in acrylics began as an add-on to her colour pastels, which didn鈥檛 give her the true, bright whites she wanted.
After a bit, she started creating entire works in acrylic.
Brown鈥檚 day job is in an administrative capacity. And she likes square dancing.
She also writes 鈥� occasionally. She wrote a mini-novel, Something Fishy Going On, that she sold on Amazon. 鈥淚t was really fun,鈥� she said, 鈥渂ut no success.鈥�
It did underscore an important part of her personal philosophy: 鈥淒oing something you want to do is more important than making a million dollars.鈥�
She came to 91原创 with her two daughters, Ashley and Aeran, in 1999, following 鈥渟omeone who had work鈥� here.
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 pick it because it was the best place on earth,鈥� she confided, adding, 鈥淚 just discovered that after I got here.鈥�
Her husband Gary, whom she met after her arrival in 91原创, has been tremendously supportive of her artistic aspirations, although they have 鈥渃ompletely opposite interests.鈥�
鈥淗e doesn鈥檛 square dance,鈥� Brown said, 鈥渁nd I don鈥檛 race motorcycles.鈥�
鈥淲e promise each other that one day we鈥檒l try each other鈥檚 activities,鈥� Brown added, although she admitted that her reciprocation would probably be limited to taking on 鈥渨aving a flag from a tower,鈥� in reference to Gary鈥檚 current volunteer position as a starter at WMRA racing events at Mission Raceway.
Brown鈥檚 two daughters, Ashley and Aeran, have demonstrated artistic bents of their own.
Ashley has done some award-winning acting in theatre, though she now participates mostly back-stage.
Aeran is a beautician and nail technician who paints and draws on the side, and is 鈥渁 great little artist鈥� who, her mother proudly claims, 鈥渉as more artistic talent in her little finger than I have in my whole body.鈥�
While Brown will have works in acrylic and ink, as well as a variety of art cards, on display at Arts Alive!, she is currently promoting her pet portraits, from which she has been donating 10 per cent to (LAPS).
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