“Being original is for true artists,” says Brooke Major.
While auditing art classes at the fine art school in Paris, France, Brooke Major, an American artist, was told that painting was finished. There was nothing new to be discovered. Since her passions included both painting and sculpting, she decided to prove the art professor’s statement wrong, and sculpt paint.
“I have chosen monochrome white,” said Major, “since white is a reflection of light and can be changed into any color.” By changing the color of the lighting, by lighting from different directions, and even by lighting from behind, the optical illusions produced by a single painting may be completely transformed.
“Admiring different kinds of antique lampshades and translucent porcelain vases while living in an eleventh to sixteenth century chateau in Normandy, I felt the necessity to try the same illusion with my artwork, and I am very pleased to be able to display it in this manner to create yet many pieces of art captured into one.” Major sees herself as unique, views true art as unique, and it’s critical for her that her art be unique. “Being original is for true artists,” she says.
Major lived for nearly two decades in Normandy, France and Clayton, Georgia. She has had two passions since childhood: horses and art. The last fifteen years, most of her adult life, has been spent as a professional artist. Her passion for horses led her to breed show jumping horses for the past ten years in France.
Moving to France at the age of eighteen, Major studied International Relations at an American university in Paris. Since she had always wanted to study art, she arranged her studies schedule to allow her several days a week to audit classes in the fine arts school for painting. The course auditing lasted two years.
Since that time, Major has traveled all over the world. She discovered that she admires greatly the work of past artisans and architects from different time periods. In Paris, she was amazed at the architectural wonders that the city had to offer. She was able to find a way to find a way to audit architectural classes at the fine arts school as well, thanks to a friend who was a teacher of architecture. Eventually, her need for fresh air, open space, and her love of horses led her to move to Normandy. There she was able to practice both her passions: horses and art.
After the move to Normandy, Major participated in numerous painting competitions and won gold, silver, and bronze, as well as the young talent prize in Menton. Following these successes, she was asked to exhibit in several French art galleries in cities such as Lille, Strasbourg, Le Mans, La Rochelle, Arcachon, Deauville, Honfleur. She was also asked to exhibit for Momus gallery in Atlanta, Georgia.
Major’s works are representative of her life. She paints places that she has visited, events that have affected her feelings, buildings and architecture that have stirred her emotions by their splendor. Her deep passion for horses can be felt greatly through her artwork. Her passion for this animal is depicted in a majority of her pieces.
Her monochrome paintings in a bas relief style play on light and shadow and give us the desire to touch them to feel their richness and depth. All of the paintings are white so that several images may be created from a single piece of work by using different colors of light, as well as lighting them from different angles, and even from behind.
Brook Major’s work is represented in this country by the Chisholm Gallery in Wellington, Florida.
Posted August 8, 2017