Artist Rush Brown Returns to Maine Jewish Museum Speigel Gallery

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Artist Rush Brown This Afternoon at the Maine Jewish Musum, 267 Congress Street, on Munjoy Hill.

“The End of the Village Cafe,” is Part of the Permanent Collection of the MJM and Can be Seen in an Alcove of the Speigel Gallery.

A Painting on Exhibit is of His Mother Visiting the Whitney Museum of American Art.  His Mother is in the Middle in the Blue Coat and was Painted 35 Years Ago.

“Picnic at Sounion,” is for Sale for $525.  Sounion is the Site of the Temple of Poesidon, one of the Major Monuments in Athens.  Its Remains are Surrounded on Three Sides by the Aegean Sea. 

It was just one year ago today that Rush Brown was in Burgundy, France.he said this afternoon when he stopped by the Maine Jewish Museum, (MJM) where over 90 of his paintings and cutouts are on exhbit until June 23, 2023 in a recently opened show.  This is his third exhibit at the MJM.

Rush loves to travel abroad – especially to France where he can speak French – a language in which he is fluent and loves to speak.  His family traveled extensively during his youth and that is “how we live our lives currently,” Rush said.

Some of the paintings in the current exhibit at MJM reflect that passion for travel.  While others in the exhibit are paintings he has done from his studio in Portland.  The current exhibit at MJM is a delightful mix of both and like taking a whirlwind overseas tour.

Originally from New Canaan, Connecticut, its proximity to New York City made trips to city museums an important part of young Rush’s life. Consequently, the interior of art museums are a popular theme in his paintings and for which he is well- known.  Hence, the reason for the inclusion of the painting of his mother at the Whitney to the left that was painted 35 years ago – the centerpiece of the exhibit – “Forces of Entropy.”

He formerly lived just off India Street and painted about 7 paintings of the former Village Cafe, a popular family-friendly restaurant.   When it was torn down to make way for condominium construction, Rush could no longer paint what he saw out his window – so he moved from that location to another part of Portland.  A painting, “The End of the Village Cafe” is owned by the MJM and can be seen there in an alcove of the Speigel Gallery.  (See above right photo).

Steve Brinn, President of the Board of the Etz Chaim Synagoge in which the Museum is located, said:  “Rush is very prolific.  He is one of the most popular artists to show at our Museum.  People like to buy his art because it’s very relateable.  He paints nice character insights into his subjects.”

For twenty years, Rush taught art at Sanford High School which he described as a “delightful” experience.

Rush attended Kents Hill School and the Philadelphia College of Art.  He earned his Masters in Painting from NYU.  He has exhibited in  galleries and museums throughout the country and the world and is currently represented by Moss Galleries in Falmouth.

The MJM is closed on Saturday and is open Sunday – Friday from noon – 4:00 pm. Nancy Davidson, is the Curator in Residence; nancyd.mhm@gmail.com

For more background information on Rush Brown, please visit post herein dated August 6, 2020.