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Jen Dale (Brown) was born near Toronto, Canada in 1978. She holds a Master’s Degree in Art History and a Curatorial Diploma from York University in Toronto (class of 2004). She has lived in Japan and Mexico, and currently resides in Portland, OR, while curating exhibitions at Figure Ground Art Gallery in Seattle, WA. She writes a daily blog on contemporary and historical Narrative Painting at www.instagram.com/narrativepainting or at www.narrativepainting.net. Brown is a self-taught painter, however, her education in Art History bears insight into the subject and style of her narrative paintings. She has won various painting competitions, including Fine Art Connoisseur’s Best Selfie award 2020. She has exhibited at the European Museum of Modern Art (MEAM) in Barcelona. Her work can be found in private collections in the US, Canada, Mexico, the UK, and Australia.
Brown is represented by Figure Ground Art Gallery in Seattle.
CV
Jen Brown (b.1978 Canada)
Education
York University, Master of Arts, Art History, 2004
York University, Diploma in Curatorial Studies, 2004
University of Waterloo, Bachelors Degree, Art History Honours, 2002
Awards
Best Selfie of the Artist, Fine Art Connoisseur Magazine’s Artist and Selfie competition, 2020
Finalist, Art Renewal Center Salon Competition, 2019
Finalist, Art Renewal Center Salon Competition, 2018
Finalist, Bombay Sapphire Artisan Series Competition, 2017
Best in Show, Lake Oswego Festival of the Arts, Lake Oswego, OR, 2017
Exhibitions
2023
Group Exhibition, Summer Show, Figure Ground Art Gallery, Seattle, WA
2022
Group Exhibition, Group Show, Salem on the Edge Gallery, Salem, OR
Group Exhibition, Mistaken Reality, Brassworks Gallery, Portland, OR
Group Exhibition, Unmasked, Figure Ground Art Gallery, Seattle, WA
Solo Exhibition, Love, Sex, & War, Figure Ground Art Gallery, Seattle, WA
2021
Group Exhibition, The Nude, Figure Ground Art Gallery, Seattle, WA
Group Exhibition, That’s What She Said, The Secret Gallery, Astoria, OR
Group Exhibition, Artworks Northwest Biennial, Umpqua Valley Arts Association, Roseburg, OR
Group Exhibition, Understanding Ourselves, Chehalem Cultural Center, Newberg, OR
Group Exhibition, Pink Show, Splendorporium, Portland, OR
Group Exhibition, The 13th Hour, Splendorporium, Portland, OR
2020
Group Exhibition, Disruption, Lakewood Center, Lake Oswego, OR
Group Exhibition, You Are Not a Robot, Art in Oregon at the Lakewood Center, Lake Oswego, OR
Group Exhibition, Adventures in Toyland, The Secret Gallery, Astoria, OR
2019
Group Exhibition, Art Soup, Brassworks Gallery, Portland, OR
Group Exhibition, Caravaggio Died of the Jello Fever, The Secret Gallery, Astoria, OR
Solo Exhibition, The Allegories, Wolff Gallery, Portland, OR
Group Exhibition, Desire + Decadence, Gallery 114, Portland, OR
Group Exhibition, Painting Today, European Museum of Modern Art (MEAM), Barcelona, Spain
Group Exhibition, She Flies with Her Own Wings, Salem Art Association, Salem, OR
2018
Group Exhibition, Pandora’s Box, Splendorporium, Portland, OR
Group Exhibition, Transformations, P5 Centers for the Arts, Portland, OR
Group Exhibition, The Artist’s Sketchbook, Elisabeth Jones Art Center, Portland, OR
Solo Exhibition, West Seattle Art Walk, Seattle, WA
Group Exhibition, Expose YourSELF in Art, Gallery 114, Portland, OR
Group Exhibition, Alchemy, Splendorporium Gallery, Portland, OR
2017
Group Exhibition, Reflections, P5 Centers for the Arts, Portland, OR
Group Exhibition, St Johns Art Walk, Cathedral Park Place Gallery, Portland, OR
Group Exhibition, Lake Oswego Festival of the Arts, Lake Oswego, OR
Group Exhibition, We Belong Here, Emerson Street House, Portland, OR
Two Person Exhibition, Mt Tabor Art Walk, Art Heads Gallery, Portland, OR
Group Exhibition, Unpresidented, Screaming Sky Gallery, Portland, OR
Group Exhibition, Unnatural Election, Kimmel Galleries at NYU, New York, NY
2016
Group Exhibition, San Antonio Art Walk, Los Arcos, San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
2015
Group Exhibition, Los 5, Los Arcos, San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
2014
Solo Exhibition, Dress Up, Teatro Santa Ana, San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
Collections
Works held in private collections in the US, UK, Mexico, Australia, and Canada
Publications (featured in)
Rutz, Paul. “In the Studio with Jen Brown.” Youtube, In the Studio interview by Paul Rutz, Mar 1 2022, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzuqOfnSEps.
Bates, David. “Pictures Worth More Than a Thousand Words.” Oregon Arts Watch. Mar 15 2021, https://www.orartswatch.org/pictures-worth-more-than-a-thousand-words/
Compton, Kelly. “And the Winners Were…” Fine Art Connoisseur. Jan/Feb 2021, pp. 99-103.
Holverstott, Brett. “Comedy in an Era of Anxiety.” Figure Ground Art Review. 2 Nov 2019, https://medium.com/figure-ground-art-review/comedy-in-an-era-of-anxiety-2acad9d2f3a5.
“Ambassador of the Week: Jen Brown.” Realism Today, 14 Oct 2019, https://realismtoday.com/narrative-oil-paintings-realism-jen-brown/ .
Pothier, Chris. “Jen Brown – Narrative Painter – Interview by the Lives of the Artists.” Youtube, The Lives of the Artists interview by Chris Pothier, 25 Sept 2019, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEjPZtyQa6M
Menendez, Didi. “100+ Contemporary Figurative Artists on Instagram.” 01.Media. Aug 6, 2019. 01.media/100-contemporary-figurative-artists-on-instagram.
Memory Hole. Portland, The People’s Colloquium, 2019.
Various publications related to ‘Painting Today’ exhibition at the MEAM 2019 https://spark.adobe.com/page/5vpdOtpTWqHqa/?fbclid=IwAR0yvi2tCuRtqwMyq6Yk8V4dCHy6nu5lnK6nE6qSpusDmop2P1JvWxvYw3g
“The Tragically Hip.” Anastamos, Fall 2018, anastamos.chapman.edu/index.php/issues/issue-4-tangible/.
Brown, Jen. “The Allegory of Post-Truth” et al. 2017. Portland 2017: An Anthology, The People’s Colloquium, 2017, cover art et al.
Publications (written)
Dale, Jen. “Through the Eye: a Master’s influence on Contemporary Painting.” Medium, 20 Sept 2023. https://medium.com/@jenbrown_89601/through-the-eye-a-masters-influence-on-contemporary-painting-c075d40ed2e8
Brown, Jen. “The Art of Martijn Caspar Swart: Making Light in the Dark.” Figure Ground Art Review, 5 July 2022. https://medium.com/figure-ground-art-review/the-art-of-martijn-caspar-swart-making-light-in-the-dark-4cbac0bed5a4
Brown, Jen. Narrative Painting. 2019-22, https://narrativepainting.net/. Accessed 29 July 2020.
Brown, Jen. “How to Change the Art World.” The Shadow, 31 Aug 2021. https://medium.com/the-shadow/how-to-change-the-art-world-8f1b8ce56c7c.
Brown, Jen. “Dreams and Danger: the Art of Austin Eddy.” Figure Ground Art Review, 10 July 2020, https://medium.com/figure-ground-art-review/dreams-and-danger-the-art-of-austin-eddy-226777f7aed5.
Brown, Jen. “The Prophetic Visions of Painters Before the Age of Coronavirus.” Figure Ground Art Review, 28 Mar 2020, https://medium.com/figure-ground-art-review/the-prophetic-visions-of-painters-before-the-age-of-coronavirus-9bf43b633b2b.
Brown, Jen. “Painters Are Telling New Stories.” Figure Ground Art Review, 20 Nov 2019, https://medium.com/figure-ground-art-review/painters-are-telling-new-stories-234d06506275.
Brown, Jen. “My Self.” Poets&Artists. Issue 103: Goss 183, July 2019.