ROugh Edges: Brian Story

July 16th - July 30th, 2022

Artist Statement

I grew up in a world surrounded by white walls and questionable decor. For someone who is overly obsessed with being surrounded by beauty this was difficult….

I spent my time designing and building my own spaces from just about anything I could find from Legos to moss covered stones. I dreamed of becoming an architect, trained to be a diplomat, studied architectural history, and somehow ended up a painter. It suits me and I genuinely enjoy spending time perfecting my craft and style.

The many colors I use and the textures I employ in my art are a direct reaction to the white walls of my childhood. I use white sparingly, instead embracing a more vibrant palette. Color and movement spark joy for me, and I often paint while dancing or singing to music. Texture fascinates me and I can spend hours simply working the edges of a painting or exploring ways to add layers and dimension to a canvas by scraping, peeling, dragging, sanding, or polishing a surface. I guess these rough edges reflect my own. Nothing less, nothing more.

Biography

DC artist Brian Story hails from Middle Tennessee. He was drawn to art at a young age and spent much of his teens traveling in Europe exploring the great museums of the Old World. His interest in the arts continued in his formal education where he studied Art History at the University of Richmond, and later attended the University of Georgia’s Historic Preservation Program. Although his calling was art, he was temporarily pulled away by the realities of the world. However, Brian continued to travel and explore art and design during trips to South America, Asia, Oceania, and Africa. After spending some time immersed in the colorful culture of Tibet and Nepal, he began to pursue his passion for the arts full time. It is this passion for cultural and geographic exploration that influences the art he creates today. Each piece is a separate journey, an exploration of movement and color. He approaches every piece as experimental with as much interest and joy in the process of creation as the final outcome. Brian lives with his husband and dog in Washington DC. When he’s not busy painting, he spends much of his time working in a Georgetown art gallery leading design consultations and helping to curate exhibitions of fellow artists.