Past Lives: Desert Oasis by Brooke Lewis

Past Lives: Desert Oasis
Brooke Lewis
Oil on canvas
16"h x 20"w - framed
2025

Inspired by an old piece of furniture that I painted on a whim, the imagery and custom frame mirror the beveled features of a night stand, rescued from the dumpster, and given a new colorful life. As an addition to the "Past Lives" series of paintings, this piece explores the interdimensionally of land, sky, and seascapes. The Earth beneath our feet tells an expansive geological story; past lives of ocean where forests now rest, lush jungle that was once arid desert. To ponder the past lives of our landscape is to travel through time, becoming humbled by the vast insignificance of our timeline. 

Get to Know the Austin Artist:
Brooke Lewis’s work is an amalgamation of observations from the natural world, coupled with reoccurring thoughts, emotions, and interests that converge into oil on canvas. 

She approaches each new painting with curiosity, working broad impressionistic brushstrokes into smooth, refined images that flirt with realism and nod toward surrealism.
 
With a current special interest in clouds and water, she entertains different portrayals of these features in her work, with a common theme of environmental portals, and the color blue. Her work is often accompanied by custom wood frames, handmade by her dad, Jim Lewis. 

Outside of her oil painting practice, she works as a chemical formulator, practices Brazilian jiu jitsu, and cares for a small zoo of animals at home, just outside of Austin.