Metamorphosis
This piece depicts how we change as we grow up (age).
Thus, it reminds us that repair is needed across divisions of age and attitude towards life, not simply on the basis of ideology or belief.
“MEMENTO VIVERE (Remember to Live)”
“MEMENTO VIVERE (Remember to Live)”
60” x 48” oil on canvas
2021 Brooks Anderson
This painting is all about the juxtaposition of life, death, and separation. When I painted this piece in the midst of Covid-19, death and loss had been in a constant duet with life and survival. The foreground represents a sort of stage. The dead tree stump, situated almost squarely in the center of the foreground, represents the death someone has experienced of someone else close to them. The serpentine, thriving tree represents all of that which remains, still growing and existing. The light of a rising sun from the side not only gives warmth, but brings compositional symmetry and rhythm — a reminder of care and continuation. New growth in the foreground area is being bathed by this light. It is in the background of the sea and sky that we have a juxtaposition of this earthly, rooted stage with immense, infinite light and life. It is a remembrance to live, which this painting elicits. It is in the reconciling our fears and ignorance with one-another that we can find common ground.
The Accuser and The Accused
The two wire-mesh figures face each other in suspended animation, their forms both rigid and fragmented, creating a visual narrative of confrontation and division. The sharply outstretched arm and accusatory stance of The Accuser, on the left, evoke intense pressure and judgment, while the posture of The Accused, on the right, withdrawn, vulnerable, and edged with defensive gesture, reflects the emotional isolation and confusion born of being under scrutiny.
Their stark physical separation amplifies the figurative chasm between them: one is the force of accusation, the other the embodiment of being accused. The raw, open grids in their bodies and faces suggest exposure and wounds, alluding to existential fracture and the painful openness of conflict. Anger, confusion, and ideological division are etched into the negative space and the distorted anatomy, making the invisible tensions of polarization physically manifest.
This sculpture does not attempt to resolve the divide; rather, it confronts viewers with the discomfort and intensity of polarized experiences – whether in families, institutions, or society at large. By rendering fracture in material form, it invites reflection on how these ruptures shape individuals and collective narratives, and how art can surface the underlying emotional realities of anger, isolation, and the longing for understanding.
Orange you sick and tired of fascism
This work (oil painting) depicts a willingness of some people to resist and oppose authoritarianism in favor of a more just and free society.
Crossed Wires
Combining graphic linear detail and wide swaths of color, this expressive painting dazzles through the harmonious and discordant use of rich colors. It draws inspiration from my weaving, and is a metaphor for the complexity and confusion of our times.