Once I saw his work in catalogues at the house I recognized his distinctive Chicago Imagist style.
His house contains a vast collection of outsider artwork, his own paintings/sculptures and beautiful African and Mexican arts pieces. I felt like I was living an intensive American arts experience, seeing how the artist lived, collected, and painted.
Roger's partner George Veronda designed the main house, studio and guest house. It's reminiscent of the Farnsworth house with enormous glass walls and modernist architecture. I had to put on my Studio Thinking cap and see just how an artist like Roger Brown envisioned.
Brilliant colors and shading made his paintings pop in light.
It was a little tricky navigating the artwork with kids in the house. Living in the Roger Brown house made me think how we are all curating our own lives. Do our students know they are curating their own collection?
My immediate response after living in this house for two and half days was to come home and make art. How do classroom spaces function as inspiration for students?
I have to think about that question, how does the studio inspire an artist? Hmm, well at least for me my studio has some sense of order, but also a lot of books, art, objects, and strange sundrie to feed my eyes and keep my mind flowering.
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