I recently built a new updated and revised website for my mythological and mysticism paintings set in landscapes based on places I have hiked and explored. The site has larger, more detailed images, as well as exhibition photos and an updated statement. My thanks to my friend and photoghapher Rick who helped me along the way. I learned that building a website takes a great deal of patience and hard work. I hope you will have a chance to visit Jeff Brailas Artist under the domain jeffbrailas.com.RegardsJeff
Jeffrey Brailas's blog
Wednesday, 6 May, 2020
Canyon Above Rio GrandeIn the fall of 2019, we hiked along the Hot Springs Canyon above the Rio Grande where I painted an oval plein air. I sat in the sun on a rock with the canvas balanced on my knees painting for about two hours. It was all completed on sight, including the wispy clouds in the blue sky. It was a perfect day with a cool breeze, multiple tiny yellow flowers blooming in the desert, and total seclusion except the wasps buzzing about. Being lost in the intricacies of painting and contemplating the endless complexities of nature was a gift to me.Later, my wife and I attended a...
Wednesday, 17 July, 2019
On our last trip to Big Bend I recorded the following encounter:Yesterday my wife and I went on our first hike of this trip. It was an overcast day but there were no discernable cloud shapes. Going down to the big rocks in the canyon near the bottom we saw a water stream where we had never encountered water before. We could see how the entire area drains down from the mountains and coalesces into one final pour-off. After reaching this beautiful spot we turned back for the somewhat arduous trek of climbing back up. I wasn't in the best shape since still recovering from some minor foot...
Saturday, 1 September, 2018
Update: New ExhibitionThe Five Points Museum of Contemporary Art I am currently showing two large scale paintings in the Victoria Show: Decode 361 in the beautiful South Texas town of Victoria. All roads in town seem to intersect in this prime location in the middle of a historic district lined with magnificent turn of the century mansions set along winding streets and a large river. My paintings depict legends that reflect the South Texas culture influenced by Mexico and Central America. The backgrounds in the narratives are based on the type of rich vegetation of...
Wednesday, 24 January, 2018
Painting again outside in the remoteness of Big Bend, I can't help considering the relationship between nature and art. Over the years, they have become intertwined and mutually reinforcing. When painting plein air in the wild, you are directly experiencing the forms of nature, the light, your perception of colors, the wind, the insects and other creatures, the sensation of space, and it is all changing around you. The act of painting becomes a kind of narrative. Back at home, in my studio, when I am working on a mythological narrative painting, I carry in my memory, the sensations and...