Brent Estabrook
Biography
"It’s not what you paint, it’s how you paint"
Brent Estabrook, an established American artist, holds a Bachelor in Studio Arts from the University of Arizona and a Doctorate of Dental Surgery (DMD) from the University of Louisville; he is currently based in LA, California. Brent is best known for his large-scale oil paintings of colourful stuffed animals. His textured and vibrant compositions have been years in the making, climaxing in 2015 with a series of works titled “Perpetual Recess," which established him into the art world.
Brent echoes his dental education through the meticulous approach he takes to each painting, contrasting it with his delightful and playful sense of childlike joy and curiosity. The artist uses layers of thickly applied paint to create textured surfaces reminiscent of velvet and plush fabric.
Key to Brent’s work is the philosophy of “it is not what you paint, but how you paint.” This grounds the artist, reminding him to focus on each brush stroke and mark on his canvas, sustaining him with a mindful presence.
The artist aims to push his artistic boundaries, captivating his audience with evocative compositions that join technical precision with the curiosity of a child at play, thus creating harmony on canvas. His works are a transformative experience, allowing the viewer to journey into a world of textures come alive, dancing colours and self-discovery.
Brent Estabrook is an American artist known for his large-scale oil paintings of stuffed animals. Born in Arizona and raised in Seattle, WA, he holds a Bachelor of Studio Arts from the University of Arizona and a Doctorate of Dental Surgery (DMD) from the University of Louisville. With a playful yet meticulous approach, Estabrook combines surgical precision with a childlike sense of joy, creating textured and vibrant compositions. His artistic journey began by turning frustration over student debt into paintings of enlarged currencies, leading to a career breakthrough. Through a series of colorful skulls, he developed his distinctive style, exploring brushwork and color palette. The series "Perpetual Recess," initiated in 2015, firmly established him in the art world. Since then, Estabrook has exhibited in notable art fairs across the United States and was recently featured in the Long Beach Museum of Art's exhibition "Creature Comforts" in 2022. Currently based in Los Angeles, California, Estabrook continues to captivate audiences with his evocative artwork.
Best known for his large-scale oil paintings of stuffed animals, Estabrook approaches his work with a delightful playfulness while maintaining a sedulous painterly technique. His personal ritual of mixing and applying paint is honed to a surgical precision, a method informed by his doctorate education. Laying down each thick, richly pigmented brushstroke with attentive patience, Estabrook builds up a rich impasto that evokes the fibers of plush fabric, velvet, and fleece. The artist harmonizes this pristine and sophisticated painting process with the unfettered joy and curiosity exemplary of child’s play.
The impetus for Estabrook’s artistic odyssey occurred during his time at dental school. Induced by the frustration of mounting student debt, he began making paintings of various currencies, scaled up to the size of novelty checks. His very first sale came soon after, setting off an exhilarating spark as he began seeing the viability of an artistic career. Delving deeper into his newfound passion and eager to further his career potential, Estabrook created a series of colorful skulls; his comprehensive understanding of the subject - courtesy of his medical education - allowed for freedom to thoroughly experiment with color and technique, which in turn led to the artist developing the distinctive brushwork and color palette that is now his forte.
The series that definitively placed Estabrook on the contemporary art map was Perpetual Recess, begun in 2015. These large-scale oil paintings depict highly textured cornucopias of various stuffed animals, each unique composition bristling with baroque energy and glowing with synthetic shades of hot pink, acid green, and high-pitched blue. The pure delight radiating from each piece is rivaled only by the impressively adroit brushwork and lush density of paint applied diligently stroke by stroke.
Estabrook’s most recent paintings, which retain his hallmark buttery textures and vibrant color palette, are characterized by the artist’s developing focus on formalism. Prioritizing a mindset of authenticity has become the driving force of his new work; as he began paring down his subject matter to its bare essentials, he found an intriguing magic in keeping all outside influence out of his painting process.
A paramount component of Estabrook’s overarching approach to artmaking is a mindful presence at each second of painting. He believes that “it’s not what you paint, it’s how you paint,” and his best work happens when the “how” is answered by a practiced awareness that keeps him in the moment, connected with each brush bristle and every mark put on canvas. It’s a creed informed equally by meditation techniques and the pure immersion and commitment to his life's pursuit.. As the artist’s exploration of subject and content progresses, so does his exercise in total assimilation with his work.
Brent Estabrook currently lives and works in Los Angeles, California.
BRENT ESTABROOK IN SHEPHERD MARKET
ARTIST STATEMENT
Estabrook's artistic journey is marked by a delightful playfulness intertwined with a meticulous approach to painting. In each artwork, Estabrook merges the precision honed from his dental education with a childlike sense of joy and curiosity. Through the application of thick, richly pigmented brushstrokes, Estabrook creates textured surfaces that evoke the tactile qualities of terrycloth, velvet, and plush fabrics.
The inspiration for his artistic odyssey arose during his time in dental school, where he found solace in creating paintings of enlarged currencies as a response to mounting student debt. This pivotal experience led him to recognize the potential of pursuing an artistic career. As his exploration continued, Estabrook ventured into a series of colorful skulls, allowing him to freely experiment with color and technique, eventually developing his distinctive brushwork and color palette.
Central to Estabrook's artistic process is a mindful presence. He firmly believes that "it is not what you paint, but how you paint." This philosophy emphasizes the significance of a practiced awareness that keeps him connected to every brush bristle and each mark on the canvas. Drawing inspiration from meditation techniques and the uninhibited exploration of children at play, Estabrook fully immerses himself in his artwork.
Estabrook remains driven to explore new subjects and content, continuously pushing the boundaries of his artistic expression. His goal is to captivate audiences with luminous and evocative compositions that seamlessly harmonize technical precision with the unbridled joy and curiosity exemplified in a child's play.
Through his artwork, Estabrook invites viewers to embark on a journey where textures come alive, colors dance, and the act of painting becomes a transformative experience of connection and self-discovery.
