In 1981, he was awarded a QEII Arts Council Grant for travel to the
United States, the
United Kingdom and
Western Europe. On his return, the impact of the
Springbok tour protests, as well as a period living with fellow neo-expressionist artist
Philip Clairmont that same year, had a lasting impression on Brown. A founding member of the pressure group VAANA (Visual Artists Against Nuclear Arms) in 1984, Brown's paintings and prints of this period tackled relevant issues not only on nuclear weaponry but also on feminism and the peace movement. This culminated in his 1985 exhibition Living in the Bomb Age, at the
Dunedin Public Art Gallery. Brown's practice examines his direct and personal articulation of the realities of the human condition. He is profoundly aware of the relationship between human beings and their environment. Symbolism such as the
fern, black singlet,
dog and driveway,
James K. Baxter and
Captain Cook, all reflect his experience, his observations and his beliefs. He has woven these into a complex web over a period of more than 40 years. In his early work he combined a tension and personal narrative centred on social issues in New Zealand
topography. His later work included the socio-political world of the distinctly New South Pacific, while in his current practice, he continues to emphasize his vision of a New Zealand identity. Brown has also undertaken two significant stained glass window designs – St Mary's Catholic Church, Auckland (1991) and
Holy Trinity Cathedral, Parnell (1998). In 1998 he travelled to
Antarctica as part of the inaugural 'Artist to Antarctica' programme. == Awards ==