rwb2art by Richard W. Brown, II

Bio: Richard W. Brown, II (rwb2art) was born in Williamsport, PA and moved to the Bay Area in 2008. Richard's childhood love of drawing and painting was put on hold for a couple decades while he focused on his music hobby and his copywriting profession. A 2024 job layoff afforded him the time and mental capacity to return to creating visual art. December's East Bay Open Studios will be the first-ever exhibition of Richard's work.

Statement:
Historically much more skilled in realism, I recently challenged myself to create more intuitively and delve into abstract work. After floundering for a while to find my direction/style, I attended a mixed media workshop with Bibby Gignilliat. This class opened me up to a broader range of materials and methods in my creative process. In addition to acrylics, my mixed media arsenal now includes house paint, spray paint, magazine clippings, image transfers, and homemade collage papers. My preferred platform is cradled wood panels and I typically stick to a black and white color palette. I find inspiration from German expressionism, dystopian science fiction, automobiles, music, writing, and the urban streetscapes of Oakland, CA.