Contemporary Abstract Artist Alan Brain – Creator of Visible Feelings

Visible Feelings

Many artists paint what they see or think buyers want - they work hard to get it right, to create a pleasing picture often in the latest trend. I did that, I don't anymore, I paint emotions - strong powerful feelings that I have experienced, passions that have driven me through my life.  I share them as visible feelings and they connect with the viewer because they are genuine and because the viewer has had similar experiences albeit in a different context.

My Artistic Journey

I discovered painting over thirty years ago when I attended a watercolour class with some friends - It led to a change of direction that I have never regretted. I attended every class I could find and learnt how to paint without much thought about what to paint and why. My work was popular, it was praised and it sold sometimes. But my painting was not satisfying to me and later frustration led me to the USA where I studied the art of getting feelings into paintings. After a lot of work I felt equipped to paint genuine art - art with emotion. Today, painting is still my passion. I continue to surprise myself with how many different ways there are to paint my life's experiences.

I was a pilot before becoming a painter. When I was in the air the sky and the weather with its ever changing moods fascinated me, the vast open space and amazing colours appear in my art - I just held the brush.

The sense of quiet calmness that can be felt in a large empty building or in a wide flat open area pleases me - painting let me realise how much I value space.

I ran a demanding business for some years and learnt to value the time I could spend alone. Time to think, consider and just be. This love of quiet solitude, is probably within all my artwork but it is tempered with something else, I am not sure what it is but it is something to do with that threat to my quiet time. I must keep looking.

Strong passions have emerged in my life and my art has enabled me to reveal them to myself and to others. My deep hatred of conflict and war surprised me but I expressed it in a series of paintings that I am particularly proud of. We share concern about our environment I'm sure, for me it crystallised into a series of paintings about pollution that have been well received.

There is so much more I want to do!

Art Teaching

Teaching has been part of my life for many years. Before becoming a full-time artist I was a flying instructor and during my business career I taught programming, management and leadership.

Art teaching presents a different challenge. For flying teaching discipline is vital and risk taking is totally discouraged. In art I teach the opposite - to be bold and take risks. My aim is not to create painters who follow a formula but to help people find their own voice and express what matters to them.

Through workshops, personal tuition and my "Find Your Own Direction" courses, I help artists move beyond technique and explore the emotions, experiences and ideas that make their work unique. There is nothing more rewarding than seeing someone gain the confidence to create art that is genuinely their own.

There is more information on my art teaching on my Art Tuition page.

 Recognition & Exhibitions

I have exhibited widely including with The American Watercolor Society, Royal Watercolour Society, and Canadian Society for Painters in Watercolour. I have contributed to major exhibitions concerning war and its aftermath and pollution.

My artwork is held by buyers and collectors around the world.

Buying Art

Buying art from me is simple and safe, and you are acquiring a guaranteed original painting.

Every painting is an original work of art. No prints are made and the images displayed on this website are low-resolution photographs intended only for viewing online.

If you buy online I provide free worldwide shipping. Or if you are local simply contact me to arrange to see it and buy it directly.

You have a 60-day money-back guarantee. If a painting does not feel right in your home, simply return it and I will refund the purchase price.