Jack Brauer
Born & raised in Wisconsin. My interest in art grew from my activities as an outdoor photographer. Photography taught me how to compose photos, to be patient in waiting for the right lighting. Aging along with arthritis prohibited me from outdoor activities like snow shoeing or hiking in the woods with cameras. In 2009 I decided to try my hand a painting, using my past activities as inspirations for my paintings.
Developed a fond appreciation for old barns and the life of the small family farmer which perhaps accounts for themes in my paintings. Creating a spirit that flows through my art, a spirit that motivates the viewer to enjoy my work is the ultimate goal I try to obtain with each piece I paint.
My art is about life away from large cities. It expresses what I feel about people, places, and experiences I have had. In order to create a painting, I need to feel a connection with a subject and see what that subject means to me. I really believe that most pieces of art I paint are inspirations that are deep in my mind from past occasions spent roaming the countryside in the mid-west.
For no apparent reason that I can think of, I decided to try painting with watercolors, not realizing that this is a difficult medium according to other artists. With no formal education in art, I learned through watching a lot of artists on videos, using the internet as a learning tool. At age 69 I discovered another hobby that was interesting and a challenge. The more I struggled with watercolors, the more I loved them, always surprised at the results when mixing water with paint. The magic of watercolors, flowing and blending together is the thrill I seek when painting.
Spending countless hours roaming around on back country roads in the midwest I could see the beauty in old farm buildings. Upon close inspection one could gain respect for those who worked hard to construct farm structures. We are losing thousands of barns every year to the mega farms which is sad. Most of my paintings will include small family farm buildings as a tribute to history and hard work of the small family farmer. As time passed people viewing my art said that I had a distinct style that they loved. Those words inspire me to keep the brushes wet. On occasion for a change in pace I will use acrylic paint, and perhaps someday progress to oil painting.
I live on a lake in central Wisconsin. I love doing watercolors after spending years doing pen & ink commissioned work for folks that owned farms, homes or businesses. My original art can be purchased by contacting me at jackbrauer@new.rr.com
My style of art explained by an appreciated buyer:
Many, many of your pieces show “Nostalgia” and I think that triggers in our minds memories of our early lives, like being able to, just for a moment, go back to a kinder time, rich with family, tradition, and “The way we were”. Like you said, you don’t like abstract art (if you can call it art) and maybe the art schools and the “artsy class of people” are teaching/doing ABSTRACT because they have no history, nothing nostalgic to pull from.
Your style is simple, non-cluttered but rich in colors, evokes smells, feelings, a gentler time....and yet has a certain sense of mystery, the “hidden”...there but not seen... not in an abstract way...but what is real and tangible, surrounding all of us if we just take the time to be still and inhale!!!
So, your art touches people with the real, the tangible and yet stirs in the viewer a sense of beauty, nature, memories of what was, what could have been and is yet to come. NOSTALGIA. You, Jack, paint from the heart...things you have experienced, things you have felt and seen.
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Jack Brauer
Born & raised in Wisconsin. My interest in art grew from my activities as an outdoor photographer. Photography taught me how to compose photos, to be patient in waiting for the right lighting. Aging along with arthritis prohibited me from outdoor activities like snow shoeing or hiking in the woods with cameras. In 2009 I decided to try my hand a painting, using my past activities as inspirations for my paintings.
Developed a fond appreciation for old barns and the life of the small family farmer which perhaps accounts for themes in my paintings. Creating a spirit that flows through my art, a spirit that motivates the viewer to enjoy my work is the ultimate goal I try to obtain with each piece I paint.
