Mark Brown’s “Stars & Stripes Over Lahaina” won “Best in Show” at the 2019 Maui Plein Air Painting Invitaational.

LAHAINA – Oahu artist Mark Brown’s 20” x 24″ oil painting “Stars & Stripes Over Lahaina” won “Best in Show” among 96 entries by 23 nationally acclaimed outdoor landscape artists from Hawaii, the Mainland and Australia during the 2019 Maui Plein Air Painting Invitational.

The award show was judged by Jean Stern, director of The Irvine Museum Collection of University of California Irvine Museum and Institute of California Art.

Brown is a professional Honolulu artist whose vibrant scenes of Hawaii life are immediately recognized for their vibrant colors and paint applied with a very thick texture that compliments form and shadow. His paintings may be seen at ?Aulani Disney Resort in Kapolei, Saks 5th Avenue Waikiki, Haleiwa Art Gallery, Sunshine Art Gallery in Kaneohe, Magnolia at Kahala Mall, www.markbrownfineart.com and even on episodes of “Hawaii Five-0” and “Magnum P.I.” (his paintings are used to dress the sets). Collectors may come to his studio by appointment by calling (808) 227-1710.

Brown recently sat on a panel of plein air artists discussing their careers and how they manage to accurately capture reality but also convey a feeling about the subject that grabs viewers in their art.

Collectors rave about Brown’s representational style and marvel at the Hawaiian lore and aloha that they feel when they see his subjects. He is able to convey what he saw and felt as he studied and reacted to the land.

“I try to do all my left-brain work early in the process of analyzing a scene and setting up the composition, so I can ‘get in the moment’ as I paint all the various elements. I want to feel and express the mood and mana of the subject,” said Brown.

When asked about the inspiration and motivation for his energetic work, Brown points to his students. “I have a responsibility to them to strive for excellence and show them the way to a successful career. They motivate me,” he said.

At the prime of his career, he still teaches a class in plein air painting at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, volunteers to monitor student art workshops at Chaminade and hosts his own workshops for artists. In the grand tradition of kumu and haumana, he mentors young artists in the same way he was mentored.

The Maui invitational is on the national circuit of outdoor painting events, as far away as Easton, PA, and the “Forgotten Coast” of Florida’s Panhandle, and as diverse as Door County, WI; Sedona, AZ; and Laguna Beach, CA. Brown was competing with 23 top-tier painters in his field, selected from more than 70 professional artists who asked to be considered for the 2019 Maui event. Visit www.CelebrateArtOnMaui.com for more information on the awards.