
When as much of the digital experience can feel like plucking our own eyeballs, as a curator it’s so much fun to get lost and find incredible art like that of North Carolina based artist, Brittani George.
Her illustrations coalesce elements with complimentary vibrations while depicting humanity in all its beauty. She casts a queen-like vibe upon her heroines, allowing them to command the space and presence they so rightly deserve.
Inspired by her study of chemistry and physics, as well as an upbringing focused on creating any way she could, her finished pieces convey a sense of her characters existing in a larger cosmic context. It made me think about each one of our role’s in a larger tapestry of energy materialized & personified.
As Brittani states on her about page, “this is my voice.” Her understanding of science, society, and creativity is fused together on one amazing plane, as she indicates a sense of complicated connectivity, one that she reveres and which fuels her.
Scroll down the page to learn more about the conceptual expressionism of Brittani George.
Evan La Ruffa: Your about page says that you absorbed all sorts of art as a kid, like what? What did you gravitate toward most?
Brittani George: Growing up I was in all sorts of lessons from ballet and tap, to gymnastics, piano, violin, even basketball… but I was pretty lazy, and above all, I magnetized towards literature, drawing, and crafts.
Tell us more about how you came to create the art you make currently.
When I first realized that I liked to draw, I loved to mimic life as closely as possible. I drew things exactly as the were, realistic artwork was a fun challenge for me. One day I was painting a still-life study, and as I was staring at my subjects, I began seeing shapes. That’s how I began layering shapes into my work. The next phase was traveling to Sao Paulo, Brasil and living there for six months. It was awe-inspiring… the people, architecture, graffiti, art, the good and weird smells, and even the grit and sadness you would see being in a Metropolitan area. To sum it up that period was a beautiful muse.. when I got home I would practice, and practice.. and practice in my spare time. My art slowly progressed and also became my source of expression and meditation even…
How would you describe your art?
Eclectic, colorful, and geometric.
You also studied Biology and Chemistry in college, how do those subjects influence the way you think about or create your art?
In every way. Because life sciences is about discovering what lies beneath nature and creates life. It opened my subject matter into an infinite realm… so when I’m ready to paint and I see a person, tree, boat, picture, or any sort of muse… I’m really grasping the entire essence of the scene and how it projects on space (or in my case watercolor paper) All of those details somehow show through my work.
For a long time when I was a student, I spent long hours balancing between studying and being social, so I never had time for art. Around my junior year, I had a longing to pick my practice back up, so I began drawing with my class notes, certain biochemical pathways, cellular reactions, whatever helped really. I started thinking of ways I can bring the two subjects together, instead of keeping them in two separate worlds. So my work now has a few botanical and anatomical references… even physics. My goal is that this approach can express a worldly and universal perspective. I like to tell people science is art and art is a science. The more I learn through nature, the more I’m inspired to create.
‘Conceptual expressionism’ … you coined the term, correct? Tell us more about how that came to be.
I totally invented that term. Haha … because I like the words conceptual and expression. Deep, right? I honestly don’t like to label my art, there’s so much pressure to fit into a category, that I’m not sure exists for my work.. but conceptual expressionism was just a cool idea that floated to me one day.
Tell us more about the process of creating these pieces. What materials do yo use & how do they evolve from start to finish?
I rotate between watercolor, pen, ink, marker, and acrylic paint.. I like to start out drawing in pen and from there I layer whichever medium takes fit. It’s all a matter of going with what feels right and looks good.
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