“We are called to do no great things, only small things with great Love.”
- Mother Teresa
Paul Corbit Brown has been photographing since he was twelve years old. His work has carried him throughout the United States, Mexico, Jamaica, Russia, Israel, Palestine, Kurdistan (Northern Iraq), Kenya, Rwanda, Laos, Thailand, Indonesia, and most recently Haiti. Brown has a gift for simultaneously accepting the humanity of each person he depicts and unsentimentally sizing them up. His photographs are clear-eyed looks at the difficult situations the individuals portrayed live in, but because of their directness and compassion they are hauntingly beautiful.
These are not the scenes we see on CNN or the newsweeklies, nor in the tourist brochures. They are part of Brown’s way of seeing, of honest observation and trying to make sense of the passing hum of daily life on this troubled yet beautiful planet.
He has had significant exhibitions in Washington DC, Baltimore MD, Columbus OH, Minneapolis MN and at a number of galleries in West Virginia. His aesthetic sureness has a seductive force that propels the viewer into confronting troublesome spiritual and moral issues.
Brown supports himself through his work with numerous Human Rights organizations as well as freelance work for countless publications and the sale of his prints.
A snapshot of me and one of my boys in Rwanda.
This is not merely MY work...
...It is the work of all of us as humans being. It is a call to action.
As you look at this work, I ask that you open your heart and your mind. Do not simply say, “Isn’t that sad?”, but rather ask yourself, “What can I do to change this, to make a better world, for myself as well as for all life on this planet?”
The healing of our world is a group effort- one in which we must each offer our gifts. Each of us has a personal power, a gift. We choose each moment what we will do with our gifts. Now is the time to accept our personal power; to make a positive change in our own lives and in the world around us.
Although it may seem overwhelming and, at times, an impossible task, we must remember that it is just as easy to create as it is to destroy. The seemingly insignificant efforts of one person begin to assume a powerful effect when combined with the efforts of many others. Many fibers make the rope.
If you like what I’m doing, buy a print to support my work. Otherwise, please find another way to get involved- you can make a positive difference!