Brian Newell (B.F.A., painting, 2004) is drawn to ideas about the inherent qualities of painting, like the limitations of communication, and the value of the formal elements of painting — hue, value, edge quality, etc. Starting his career as a portrait painter, he later pursued woodworking before returning to painting full time in 2018 with his cloud series. In that series, Newell hopes to make paintings that, though not necessarily scientifically accurate, reflect the nature of clouds. The series grew out of his interest in the unique sense of scale and volume that one may appreciate when viewing clouds.