At four in the afternoon the light comes in low and the burnt orange behind her goes hot, and the room stops feeling like a room you pass through.
She is turned a few degrees past you. Not away — past. Jaw set, shoulders square, chin holding a line she has clearly held before.
The part people describe twice
Her eyes are not in the picture. The crop sits above the mouth, so everything you would normally read in a face has to come out of bone and angle instead. And it does. The jaw does all the work. You know exactly how she feels about being looked at, and you got there without a single expression.
Then look at the background. Flat burnt orange, and it refuses to sit back. A polite background recedes. This one comes forward and stands beside her.
That is Naomi Brooks. Strong contour, simplified planes, deep skin tones with real warmth in them, and no decoration anywhere. Her figures hold their ground without performing. One critic put it best: a person on your wall who doesn’t perform, doesn’t apologize, and doesn’t look away first.
What happens once it is up
People glance at most art. They look at this one, then look again, because something in them wants to find the eyes. Guests ask about her. You will end up saying her name out loud.
Getting her on the wall
Canvas stretched over solid wood, an inch and a quarter deep, and it arrives ready to hang — one nail, no frame, no framer’s bill. The image wraps the edges, so it looks finished from the side too. Matte, so an afternoon window gives you her and not your own lamp.
Most people take the 16×20 (41 x 51 cm) at $149. There is a 12×16 (30 x 41 cm) at $129, and an 18×24 (46 x 61 cm) at $229 if the wall is tall. A high quality print of a digital artwork, made to order for you — up to ten business days, then free shipping in the continental US.
One honest thing
She is not soft and she is not decorative. That orange is loud on purpose. If you want something that quietly agrees with the cushions, this is not it.
If she is already yours, take her home. If you want to sit with it, look through the rest of Naomi’s figures — or follow her, and the next one lands in front of you first.
One is a piece. Two is a set. Three is a collection.
Almost nobody stops at one. A second work by the same hand turns a wall into a pairing. A third turns it into something you chose rather than something you bought. There are 4 other works by Naomi Brooks available.
The Colour Behind Her – Naomi Brooks | Digital Download$19
No Audience Required – Naomi Brooks | Fine Art Print Price range: $129 through $229
Noon Without Apology – Naomi Brooks | Fine Art Print Price range: $129 through $229
After the Rain – Naomi Brooks | Fine Art Print Price range: $129 through $229
