Artist Statement: Outside Looking In. I prefer it that way. I find it more interesting to observe people rather than engage with them. I see the dynamic beauty in the moments we all take for granted. I simplify my composition the way I see my environment, with shape and color. The various intersecting points throughout my composition help to create an overall pathway for the eye to travel. I have always found the intersecting of two or more points very interesting. It makes me think of all the different possibilities life can bring. Bio: Bown Kline grew up on the border of Detroit, just north of 8 mile road. Its an area not only diverse in culture but also in religion. His father was one of the lead interior designers in Michigan, and Kline grew up in an environment filled with oil painting, antiques, and African art. He was surrounded by an extensive collection of books whose subjects spanned fine art, furniture design, and more. The multitudes of different cultures in his world helped him feel free to experiment with color and texture in his paintings. As a child, he would fall asleep looking through those books, captivated by the color and the stories being told through the paintings. This immersion in the history of culture was a critical part of his develpment as a painter and is the framework through which he critiques his own work. Kline captures "real life" and discovers the common elements that everyone holds inside. He captures the things that make us human. His practice is motivated by a desire to peel away the false layers one builds up over time as a shield from the world. Kline's work illuminates how similar we are to one another.