Jacob Brown

Mars, PA

“My creative practice gives me a purpose and a way to validate and express myself.”

A lifetime resident of Mars, Pennsylvania, artist Jacob Brown (he/him/his) has followed his family’s creative traditions. Jacob was unsure of what path he was going to take after graduating high school, through his family’s encouragement Jacob has pursued a career as an artist. In the time Jacob has focused on creating and exhibiting his artwork he has gained a great deal of local success and national recognition. He has participated in a number of local exhibitions, including a solo show as well as being one of 15 artists selected for VSA’s Emerging Artists exhibition and receiving the Award of Excellence in 2011. VSA is a national organization dedicated to supporting and enriching the lives of people living with disabilities.

Jacob is very involved with Best Buddies, through adaptive rowing and skiing, he has learned that he can accomplish a lot more than many expect from him. When thinking about his goals for the future, Jacob responds “Really my only dream is to support myself with my art.” Jacob has spent a lot of time thinking about how living with spastic cerebral palsy has influenced his creative process which has helped craft the following artist statement.

“My working process is directly affected by my having spastic cerebral palsy.  Starting with found grounds, I begin drawing and building up the surface with line using oil stick and oil pastels. Drawing is at the core of my artistic process.  The disconnect between my mind and physical abilities gives my drawings a unique calligraphy. I primarily use materials found in my father’s workshop and my brother’s art studio.  These materials include ink, acrylics, oils, crayon, wood stain, shellac, roofing tar, metal scraps, and metal leaf. The work grows by adding to the surface until I find some sort of harmony that is more than just the sum of my movements.”

“I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t involved in creating art.  Being the youngest in a creative family, I was always surrounded by the production of art and other projects.  It seems natural to me to create for the sake of creating. The work I make is a direct reflection of the physical limitations caused by my spastic cerebral palsy. Although my paintings are flat objects, the subject is very much the technical narrative of creating with a handicap.  In this way, each painting becomes a totem of my own cerebral palsy.”