Aria Brownell is an artist living and working in Austin, TX

I paint about the fragility of memory. My work is an articulation of my desire to reimagine an already written biography. Memory is funny because it lies. The more I try to remember a time, the less I really see. Constantly reworking a memory both in my mind and on canvas completely obliterates the original truth of the time, separating my painting from Fact by miles. Painting in this way allows for acceptance and clarity while digging through a montage of embarrassment, anxiety, depression, playfulness, serenity, and intimacy. I’m a constant voyeur and often it feels like I am an outsider bearing witness to a life that happens to me seemingly without any control. Consequently, I have a habit of overanalyzing memory and moment. Focusing on small details like skin and hair brings me close to my subject while averted gazes and glimpses from afar mimic a feeling of detachment. Each time I work through an image, layer by layer, it’s being ripped from a timeline that will never be perfectly oriented again.