I grew up as the kid who always came home covered in dirt after a long day of playing, honestly, I was probably the dirtiest kid on the playground. That spirit has never left me. I love making a mess and getting fully immersed in whatever I’m doing. The more paint I’m covered in after a day in the studio, the more fun I’ve had and the more satisfied I feel.
In my work, I explore ideas of beauty and realism through color and shape. I begin with spontaneous mark-making, letting color guide the process and create an automatic intuitive surface. From there, I edit the chaos with background color, shaping the random forms into a cohesive final composition that includes a mix of deliberate and accidentally created figures. After more than a decade of working with this approach, I know each piece is related but unique.
My paintings are meant to be beautiful, nonsensical worlds where time, logic, and reason fall away. I want people to step into them, escape their responsibilities for a moment, and interpret the experience in their own way.
About the Artist
Josh Brooks is a Baltimore-based artist known for his distinctive approach to figurative painting, where vibrant color, expressive gesture, and a spirit of romantic rebellion converge. Raised in Cold Spring, New York, Brooks was immersed in art from an early age, studying drawing and painting while dedicating much of his youth to competitive hockey. When a severe leg injury abruptly ended his athletic trajectory, he turned to his love of art, finding healing through his artistic practice. This commitment led him to earn a post-baccalaureate degree from the Maryland Institute College of Art. After finishing his studies, he made Baltimore his home. Drawing on the complexities of his suburban upbringing, Brooks rejects its cultural pull toward precision and perfection. He instead embraces a deliberate sense of “ordered chaos.” His work balances recognizable forms with loose, dripping veils of bold, intermingling color. There is an intentional release of control that mirrors his commitment to honoring imperfection and the unpredictable nature of the human experience. This tension between structure and spontaneity serves as a visual response to a world increasingly shaped by algorithmic ideals, reaffirming the beauty of what is raw, vulnerable, and deeply human. Brooks maintains an active studio practice in Baltimore. His work has been featured in six solo exhibitions in the city, including two at the Highlandtown Gallery and two at Zen Gallery. His paintings have also appeared in numerous group shows in Baltimore and at Anderson Contemporary Gallery in New York City, establishing him as a compelling and continually evolving voice in contemporary figurative painting. His work is held in private collections throughout the United States.Booking
Booking Price: $2,001-$5,000