Coakley Brown

Coakley Brown’s passion for art emerged during early childhood. She recalls in her earliest art memory, literally questioning the lines and experimenting in the space outside them. She found joy in copious paint application (and sometimes pasta) at Art Festivals in PA, and refuge in her school art program when her family moved to VA in the mid-1970s.

Though never straying from her artistic pursuits, love of learning and nature led her to a first career as a science teacher. Drawing upon this perspective, she explores, both through formal training and experimentation, the relationship between observation and her own artistic vision. Inspired by nature and stories that connect us to nature, her work is joyfully imaginative with a bold playfulness. Deeper than that, however, her motivation comes from a gratefulness for the gift of life, a trueness to self, and a sense of wonder regarding the interaction of light within our natural world.

Coakley’s award-winning work has been recognized nationally and regionally, including awards from the American Impressionist Society, Gloucester Arts Festival, Plein Air Suffolk, Floyd Plein Air, Plein Air Westhampton, Plein Air Roanoke, and Coastal Virginia Plein Air.