Stewart Brown

Stewart Brown

Stewart was born in 1947 above an antique shop on the Pantiles in Tunbridge Wells and the aromas
and rich patinas of turpentine and bees-wax have haunted him ever since. He worked in his early
life in the craft of antique furniture restoration before the British climate got the better of him and in
1990 he and his wife moved to the south of France where he found an old village house in need of
much repair. They spent two years restoring it. It was then that he met the painter, his maître, Pierre
Fonferrier. He was a celebrated French artist and lived locally. Rockwell-inspired portraits, farm
animals, an old leather arm chair, a rusty oil drum.. The extraordinary realism, choice of subject and
use of light spoke to Stewart. Pierre was very flamboyant and charismatic, and just said 'do it then'.
And so began Stewart's apprentissage. In his atelier he watched him paint, studied his techniques,
learned his recipes and in return prepared canvases and made frames, occasionally working on
minor portions of his paintings . Stewart's own work took on a new life under this strict supervision
and he was able to assume his new role as an artist and enter into that world . Concentrating on
"still life" he also studied the old Spanish and Dutch masters' techniques. He has exhibited his work
in Paris, Nice, Marseilles, Pignans, New Orleans, Singapore, the Netherlands, London, Singapore
Hong kong, New York and Toronto.