Remembering the Artwork of Ray Brown at Front Four Gallery

Description from Front Four Gallery:

Front Four Gallery and the Northern New England Museum of Contemporary Art (NNEMOCA) present an exhibition celebrating the life and work of Vermont artist Ray Brown (1940–2020). Featuring Brown’s bold later-life abstract color-field paintings alongside Vermont barn landscapes and other works, the exhibition highlights the remarkable evolution of his decades-long career. Join us for an opening reception on September 5 from 5–7 PM with light refreshments and charcuterie. Mark Waskow, founder of NNEMOCA and longtime friend of Brown, will be in attendance. The exhibition is on view August 27–September 21 at Front Four Gallery in Stowe.

A painter for more than five decades, Brown was an educator, artist, and longtime member of Vermont’s creative community. After moving to Vermont in 1981, he and his wife, Jody, became owners of The Drawing Board, the longtime Montpelier frame shop and art supply store. "

The exhibition brings together a diverse selection of Brown’s work, with a particular focus on the bold abstract paintings of his later years. Color-block and color-field compositions are shown alongside his Vermont barn landscapes and a selection of more unusual works, offering a glimpse into the range and evolution of an artist who never stopped experimenting. 

Brown’s later works were significantly influenced by a serious stroke in 2006 that left the right side of his body immobilized. Determined to continue painting, he taught himself to work with his left hand. The stroke also affected his memory, leading Brown away from familiar imagery and toward a more immediate and increasingly abstract approach to painting. 

Throughout his career, Brown explored color, form, landscape, memory, and the natural world. Working primarily in oil on canvas and linen, his compositions were often loosely structured around the golden mean, providing an underlying sense of balance to his intuitive use of shape and color. Brown continued painting until late in his life, returning at times to old sketchbooks, landscapes, birds, flowers, and other subjects while continuing to explore abstraction. 

Front Four Gallery is proud to bring together this body of work in celebration of Brown’s remarkable life, resilience, and artistic legacy, and to offer a new audience the opportunity to discover the work of an important member of Vermont’s artistic community. 

Opening Reception:
Saturday, September 5, 2026 | 5–7 PM
Light refreshments and charcuterie will be served.
Mark Waskow of NNEMOCA will be in attendance.

Exhibition Dates: August 27–September 21, 2026
Front Four Gallery
394 Mountain Road
Stowe, Vermont 05672