Rather than choosing heroic subjects for her paintings, Brown addressed in her work the most personal and intimate moments of her life, including her romantic relationships with men. "The Journey" series focuses on a trip she took to Europe in 1976, a time of change and deep reflection for her. She was going through a divorce and these paintings are based on the key moments of a romance she had on her travels: the couple dressed for an evening of dancing, taking in the view on a moonlit balcony, and, eventually, separating from each other. The Journey #1 shows the beginning of the affair. With the woman in the lead, the couple strides confidently toward their next adventure, yet the joy and sexual chemistry associated with the start of a love affair are absent. Stiff postures and lack of eye contact seem to foreshadow the psychological distance apparent in later paintings in this series. With this air of drama, Brown called attention to the illusory or cinematic nature of the painting. She cast herself as the independent woman and explored from a female perspective the complicated dynamic between women and men and the shifting of traditional gender roles.
In response to being asked in 1982 if the women's movement influenced her to use domestic imagery in her work, Brown responded: "I was using things around me long before it became an issue."9 Practicality may have been part of the reason—her son Noel was born in 1962 and, like many mothers, she altered her work schedule to spend time with him.10 Also, Brown simply found inspiration in these objects. At first, she used them to explore thick paint, expressive texture, and instinctive composition; later, the object's personal significance became more important than the style of painting.
