S. Ross Browne was born in Mount Vernon, NY and raised between, NY, Richmond and Charlottesville, VA. Browne studied in the highly competitive Communication Art and Design program at Virginia Commonwealth University under Dr. Murry DePillars and Photography at The Corcoran School of the Arts and is an alumnus
of The Miller School of Albemarle.
For S Ross Browne art tends to be an exploration of relationships. Be they between classes of people, genres of art, ideas and ideology or music and culture. Inherent in that exploration is the quest for truth in the parade of isms, and moreover the truth in the identity we claim and the identity forced upon us.
One of the focal points of my artwork is a modern study in dichotomy and perception from a historical context using
portraiture as the interpretive engine. He explores the nuances that relate to his evolving view of the world and transversely the worlds culminating view of him, through the often occluding filters of culture and race. His intent is to foment thought and discussion by exploring ‘cultural identity’ via the multiple allegorical streams
the paintings provide.
He often uses the image of the black woman in unaccustomed/atypical context, derived to create a visual tension
between historical fact, misinformation and myth. The viewer is lured into the possible narrative of the depicted figure by her beauty, strength and grace; however, immediately enters an intellectual menagerie where they are confounded by the disconnected visual clues. Is she slave or slaveholder? Is she captive or free, is she servant or served served? Is she factual or fictional in a historical context? All of these questions and more provide basis for the individual viewers journey of allegorical interpretation.
To book your cabin, go to: http://fantasticvoyage.blackamericaweb.com or call 972.980.SAIL (7245).