Gary Brewer’s ‘Seductive Nature’

Gary Brewer is a self-taught painter who has shown his pieces nationwide since 1989. He is best known for his Seductive Nature series, featuring psychadelic, biophilic depictions of orchids floating weightless in a sea- or space-scape with anemones, corals and lichens. In juxtaposing these organisms, Brewer draws attention to the varying degrees of complexity present in nature, and reminds us of a time when the building blocks of life were all still suspended in the primordial soup.

His choice of subject, too, touches on how similar all creatures are at the most basic level, from an orchid, a true flowering plant, to a lichen, which is a symbiotic relationship between an algae and a fungus, to a coral, which is actually a colony of many microscopic animals living together. Of course, no one can describe a piece better than the artist himself, so read on for more from Brewer’s artist statement.

Using natural forms with strong design characteristics, I create paintings that blend careful observation with fanciful invention.  I am drawn to subjects expressing an extravagance in nature, such as orchids, lichens, corals and sponges.  It is in these intricacies that the imagination is engaged and the subject matter is brought closer to the human eye.  I find magic in the act of examining and enlarging these studies and making seen what is unseen.

Art and photos © Gary Brewer

For more art and information on the artist, please visit Brewer’s website.