Enjoy the portfolio of wildlife artist Kalaco Brown, and see more of the birds and beauty of the Louisiana Bayou country here.
As a wildlife and landscape artist, I can’t help but be a naturalist. To immerse one’s self in nature is to recognize that we are all part of its mystery and meant to live in balance with it. It is there that we experience the transformative powers of beauty and healing that cause us to return to its sanctuary again and again.
Memories of those experiences are what I wish to evoke in my collectors. It is not always possible to take a walk in the silence of a forest or marvel at the wild birds in a marsh but we can enter into that state of mind, that purpose of place, through the transforming power of art.
The Mississippi River Delta is a unique ecosystem teaming with life and is the source for many of my paintings. Throughout the year, it is haven to hundreds of bird species who depend upon its abundance. Their arrivals and departures are sequenced to the rising or falling temperatures, to what is in blossom, or in decay, or what newly hatched insects will feed their multitude, as they continue on to destinations throughout the hemisphere.
Much of my creative time is spent silently gazing at my subject. I spend as much time as I can immersed in the landscape before returning to the studio to begin work. It is not until I actually start to paint however, that I really begin to see my subject.
As I paint I ask myself questions to recall the particulars of the scene. What birds do I hear? How wet is the soil? Is there any fragrance? Is there a current in the air? It is the rediscovery of these nuances that inspire me. It is only in answering these questions that I am fully caught up in the unfolding mystery of my subject.
When I paint birds I scrutinize the details as a botanical artist does a plant. It is often the smallest distinction that separates one species from another. Realism is a natural choice for me. It is a clear means by which I can gauge my level of technical skill. It also provides an open invitation to all; it is a welcoming portal into the scene.
To have a painting in someone’s home or work place, places where we spend much of our lives, is an honor. What we invite into these spaces influences who we are and directly affects our wellbeing. I see this honor as a responsibility to impart delight, tranquility and restoration.
My ongoing project is to paint each one of the migratory bird species that grace the Delta. My goal is that my paintings will inspire people to care more deeply about these creatures and the places they inhabit but most importantly to experience communion and feelings of peace and wholeness while viewing my art.
Hello Kalaco
I just had to write to tell you that I truly love the way the sunlight “touches” the subjects in your paintings.
Fredda
The Magnificent Magnet
http://themagnificentmagnet.com
Thank you Fredda.
Yes, there is a lovely stillness and contentment in the paintings. Keep being.
Thank you for your kind words Michelle
You are truly gifted,…
Thank you Mary : )