BIOGRAPHY
Artist, Photographer, Creative Director, Perfectionist and now retired. Those are just a few of the words used to describe Photonics’ president and founder, Alan Brown. A graduate of Syracuse University with a BS degree in Communications, majoring in Advertising Photography and minoring in Art History, Alan has amassed more than four decades of experience with all facets of visual media. Alan started PhotoDesign, an advertising photography studio in 1981. He then started Photonics, a graphic design and web development firm in 1989 (32 years in business and recently sold) and also for six years was a partner in a socially responsible eco-friendly women’s apparel company, Tulong LLC . Spare time, when it exists, allows Alan to explore his love of photography and illustration and his disdain for being a purist.
CV
1974-75 Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri Pre-med in Electrical Engineering Photo Editor of university student paper
1975-77 Worked at James Brown Photography—Photo Assistant
1975-77 Worked at Robin Colour Lab—Printer and Assistant Manager
1977-1979 Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York—BS degree in Communications Major in Advertising Photography, Minor in Art History
1979-1981 Worked at McHale/Brown Studio—Photographer, Studio Manager
1981-89 Partner at PhotoDesign—an advertising photography studio
1989-2021 Owner of Photonics Inc—a graphic design/web development studio
1992 Group show in Art Museum, Kharkiv, Ukraine
1993 1-person show, Vernisage, Kharkiv, Ukraine
1995 Group show at the Municipal Gallery, Kharkiv, Ukraine
1997 Group show at the Municipal Gallery, Kharkiv, Ukraine
2011 Group Show, Cincinnati, Ohio
2012 Group Show at the Municipal Gallery, Kharkiv, Ukraine
2017 Golden Ticket Group show, Cincinnati, Ohio
2019 Golden Ticket Group show, Cincinnati, Ohio
2019 Instagramland Group show, Perfect Exposure Gallery, Alhambra, California
2020 Golden Ticket Group show, Cincinnati, Ohio
2021 Group show, MADS Gallery, Milan, Italy
2021 Group show, MADS Gallery, Milan, Italy
2021 Group show, MADS Gallery, Milan, Italy
2021 Two-Person show, Gallery 708, Cincinnati, Ohio
2021 Group show, The Red Door Project, Cincinnati, Ohio
STATEMENT
My goal in creating my illustrations is to weave a complex story in a setting both real and imagined.I am a lover of the surreal and attribute some of my influences to Salvador Dali, René Magritte, Max Ernst and Giorgio de Chirico. I also want to give a nod to Hieronymus Bosch; his fantastical figures have inspired me, too. While I think the titles of the illustrations shed some light on my thinking, I leave the full interpretation up to the viewer.I have been exploring creating work in what I call a NeoDada style, as well as working in my NeoSurreal style.
