TAC Member Highlight: Cynthia Brown

“Waking up early on Saturday mornings while my family was still sleeping, I would quietly creep into the living room and turn on our black and white tv to watch the The Jon Gnagy Show: Learn to Draw.” At just five years old, Cynthia Brown learned lessons on turning circles into spheres and drawing a receding road. She knew then that someday, she would be an artist.

That early exposure was also the extent of formal art education for many years. The schools Cynthia attended didn’t offer art classes, but creativity found its way in. She was the student making posters for class projects, inventing strange creations, and drawing purely for the joy of it. Over time, the childhood dream of becoming an artist faded into the background—until in her twenties, when she lived with a painter who worked in the dining room. Watching paint come to life on canvas rekindled that long-forgotten ambition, and soon she was painting too.

College had never seemed like a realistic option growing up. It wasn’t encouraged or discussed much, even by school counselors. The expectation was simple: turn eighteen, leave home, and figure things out. It wasn’t until age 27 that she enrolled in classes at Tulsa Junior College (now TCC), eventually transferring to the University of Tulsa and earning a BFA in Painting. Despite the degree, painting felt frustrating and unsatisfying at the time. “I wasn’t very good at painting. In fact, I hated my paintings! They were awful!” Cynthia recalls.

While juggling various jobs and searching for direction, Cynthia enrolled in ceramics classes and discovered a natural aptitude. This time, the response was different. People connected with the work, bought it, and offered encouragement. That affirmation led her back to the University of Tulsa, where she earned an MFA in Ceramics. Throughout those years, she continued painting quietly, taking on gig work, completing commercial mosaic projects, and selling ceramic pieces wherever possible.

For the next decade, Cynthia taught high school art, guiding students through drawing, painting, and ceramics. Teaching was both a joy and an enormous challenge—especially managing nearly 180 students a day—but it proved to be a role in which she thrived. Her dedication and impact were recognized with two Teacher of the Year awards at her school.

A pivotal turning point came in 2011 during a five-day abstract painting workshop in Maine. Working on a massive scale and far outside her comfort zone, Cynthia incorporated drawing media, full-body movement, and spontaneous decision-making into the process. The physicality, risk-taking, and bold gestures brought everything together. At last, painting felt right. This energetic, intuitive approach was what she had been searching for all along.

By 2013, Cynthia was able to leave teaching behind and commit fully to life as a painter. With uninterrupted studio time—often eight to ten hours a day—she experimented freely with materials and methods. This experience was life-changing for her.

Today, Cynthia’s artistic style is best described as expressive, intuitive, and spontaneous. Whether working on abstract paintings, drawings, or still lifes, she begins without a plan and allows each piece to evolve organically. This has always been her approach, from clay and large-scale mosaics to painting and drawing.

Although she loves working large, a home studio now limits the scale of Cynthia’s work, and maintaining the same physical energy on smaller pieces can be challenging. Still, inspiration continues to flow—from ongoing figure studies, the garden, changing seasons, solitude, and the endless possibilities art offers.

“I believe Art is healing. I believe Art is vital. I believe Art gives us hope,” Cynthia reveals.

Follow Cynthia Brown:

Website – cynthiaannebrown.com

Facebook – @cynthia.a.brown3

Instagram – @cynthiabrownart