‘Spring Tree’

‘Spring Tree’, 2021

Brook

Acrylic on Canvas- 24″ x 18″

The special surface for painting allowed for the special effects of the splattered white paint to appear as it does for a spring tree I took a picture of in Lansing Michigan. The female figure is from an NMU fashion show about the 1920s added to the tree image for an imaginary historical feel.

Brook Powell is an experienced watercolor artist inspired by the wondrous nature of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Creating art since 1985, Brook has established a vast collection of abstract and expressionist watercolor paintings. He graduated from Northern Michigan University in Marquette, Michigan with a Bachelor of Science in Art and Design and a minor in History. Brook feels most connected to his creativity when he is engaging with his community and surrounded by Marquette’s lush forests, streams, and the great Lake Superior.

Brook recognizes the challenges of persevering along a creative path. Diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder in 1992, the pressure of college was brutal, and it was hard to keep up with other students because of delusions, even while medicated. As he persists, he is motivated by master Zoltan Szabo’s words “It has to be an inner drive, or you should be doing something else.”