[Feb - Mar 2022]

Embracing Oregon

Paintings by Rae Brown

From the Artist:

“I would love for people to get into my paintings and feel where they want to go in the story I am telling. See into it to make it their place of calm, exploring all the different adventures you can dream of walking through the maze of these tales to feel excited.

I don’t write but just like a writer I get in a painting and don’t want to end the story because I’m enjoying telling it.

I like to put people in my paintings because it brings more life into my paintings.

When there is someone or something depicted in a painting you can immerse yourself into the adventure I’ve created to share with you.

I also use my art to provide Political commentary. For example, Minimum Wage and Lemon Aide are reflections of the time we live in. It’s my way of exposing all of the greed that’s fueling these violent times.

This type of painting is hard, mostly because thinking about all of the turmoil in the world is not much fun. I feel that the story should be told.

It’s hard to express my heart’s feeling but I try to put a lot of the story in the faces in hopes that it will give you some understanding of what I’m feeling.”

  • GG's Place

    Oil on Canvas 20x16” $1,100

    I love this painting. My inspiration for this art piece came from my Mom’s dream. She was a great grandmother GG and she loved having family and friends over for holidays and reunions. She took advantage of any opportunity to host a celebration with loved ones.

  • Country Road

    Oil on Canvas 16x20” $250

    From time to time I like to just take a road that I’ve never gone down before. You never know what you’ll find down a new road but it is always an adventure. The inspiration behind this painting is a stream beside a gravel road I discovered on one of my back road adventures.

  • Water Lily

    Oil on Canvas 17x12” $110

    I remember a time when I volunteered at the Portland Art Museum. I remember giving people directions. My station to greet was in front of a huge version of Monet’s Water Lily Smiling NO comparison). Thinking of that inspired me to paint this one.

  • Summer Break

    Oil on Canvas 34x24” $350

    This is an area of combinations of beautiful harbors, trails, and cliffs. I don’t remember where I got this scene etched in my mind but it’s from the Oregon Coast, I’m sure.

  • Back Roads

    Oil on Canvas 38x23” $350

    One day I had driven to Lincoln City (Oregon) and saw a sign saying Portland. In my mind I am saying, “oh this is a short cut”. It was and it wasn’t because of the speed limit and so many curves; but it was beautiful countryside to see farms, creeks, and rivers. Of course, I took it to another level in my mind and this is the result of the mixture. The more I painted the more I felt the love for this area. How will you read it? I hope you enjoy it also.

  • First Days of Fall

    Oil on Canvas 16x12” $125

    It was the end of summer and the weather was still nice around mid 70’s with a breeze blowing in from the ocean. I thought a nice couple should be enjoying it in my painting.

  • Red Table

    Oil on Canvas 20x16” $110

    This painting I started with a small red table in my mind to brighten my day. As I looked around the room the plants became very calming, warming, and cooling feeling all at once.

  • My Prayer

    Oil on Canvas 24x16” $325

    I pray each day that all of us, especially our children, all around the world, be safe and never be forgotten. I’m thankful for every day.

  • Lemon Aide

    Oil on Canvas 20x16” $200

    Lemon Aide was created in 2020 as a reflection of the protests happening in Portland, Oregon that divided the city. This painting is representative of the city crying out for a return to the peaceful city we once enjoyed. Taking the lemons we were given and turning them into lemon aide. Portlanders worked hard for peaceful marches and free speech, let us get that back.

  • Minimum Wage II

    Oil on Canvas 20x16” $200

    The first Minimum Wage was created in 1998 when the government started taxing tips. Today wages are still nowhere near a living wage and people still can’t afford a roof over their family’s heads because the cost of living is constantly rising.

  • Falling Moon

    Oil on Canvas 11x14” $110

  • Nehalem Bay and River Kiss

    Oil on Canvas 36x24” $400

    One day my Mother and I were having brunch in a small restaurant on Highway 101 near Wheeler Oregon, a small beach town. I overheard a conversation about trails and fishing spots that I’d never visited before. They spoke of fish and wildlife that had become extinct in the area, including the Oregon Sea Otter. I began painting this scene, a view from above and below the water in Nehalem River that includes a variety of coastal wildlife.

  • Reflections

    Oil on Canvas 20x16” $200

    I have seen Mirror Lake and one morning I was headed East on Highway 84, I saw Mount Hood and just imaged what the lake was looking like at this moment on this beautiful morning. This was late spring around 4:00.

  • Glass Room

    Oil on Canvas 16x20” $300

    Looking out of the window at the first snow in late Fall near Clatsop County Forest (Oregon). I love re-creating memories that bring me back to a state of tranquility. My goal as an artist is to create an environment that allows the viewer to travel within the painting, feeling calmness and peace on any day.

  • Mood

    Oil on Canvas 20x16” $125

    I love the fresh air, forest, and ocean with all of its majestic beauty. We are blessed to live in a place where we can experience its mysteries and powers. Having a day when the Ocean kisses the Sun there’s nothing more gratifying to soothe your soul. I thought it would be nice to share a little of this with another world (smiling).

  • Transparency

    Oil on Canvas 16x12” $210

    I really don't know what to say about this one. Each time I try to add to it I get this feeling of meditation, positive energy or clearing my head with a breath of fresh air. Even if you don’t like it, leave a note about how it makes you feel, if you care to share.

Artist Bio

I love painting from memories of places I’ve visited and putting my twist on it.

When I was nine years old my family moved from Texas to Oregon. I fell in love with all the beautiful trees and plants different from those in Texas.

I remember being here for Christmas and seeing snow followed by a few months later almost every yard burst out with cherry tree blossoms. They were beautiful and turned into such sweet delight. I fell in love all over again. 

Thinking back that might have been when I wanted to capture everything I saw by painting it. 

I have always loved painting as a child. I asked for oil paints and canvas for Christmas, but my mom bought me a paint by numbers. I did the number painting and gave it to my mom after I finished it as a gift for her birthday. I never asked my mom for art supplies again, tried to put it out of my mind.

Later in life, my job came to an end when I was caught up in a company downsizing after 17 years. I went to visit my Mom at which time she lived in the coastal range. As Mother cooked dinner, I was unconsciously thinking of my next move; I was doodling on her mail. My Mom noticed the doodling I had put on the back of her mail, and she asked where did this come from.  

I said, “it’s your mail I brought in for you.” After seeing what I had done to her envelope, I apologized.

She just smiled and said, “that’s okay.”

I had a birthday coming up in a few months. Mom and my brother bought me oil paints, a sketch tablet, watercolors, acrylics, and a few different size canvases. I wanted to start slow and test the water to see if anyone else could see anything in my work so I painted greeting cards. 

Once I got another job, I started doing romantic cards for ladies who had husbands and boyfriends who had moved away for work or were in the military. Then I was asked instead of doing a card if I could duplicate one of card scenes into larger painting. I did, she framed it and put on a wall in her home. She had a dinner party were my art piece became the topic of their conversations.

From that conversation, I was invited to show my art in the Pearl District at Cargo Gallery. After that I started asking to show my painting to different Galleries in the Alberta area and the Pearl District and did a fair number of shows.

My job came to an end because the company was bought out, and my art still wasn’t at a point where it could support me. I was back on the road for another job to pay the bills and not much time to enjoy the luxury of painting. This time with my downtime, I applied for volunteer work at the Portland Art Museum and was able to volunteer there one day a week which was delightful. The Museum offered me access on days I wasn’t working and even allowed a guest some days and family and friend days. I felt proud to be on the staff of the Art Museum even as a volunteer. Getting to see and be around the Masters’ works. I did that until I found another job.

This time I decided to find a little time to paint even small things for my own pleasure.

Now that I am retired I work toward spending three or four days with a brush in my hand. Depending on the day I will be painting or preparing canvas for three to six hours. I am self-taught and I love painting so much that sometimes I work into the wee hours of the morning.