Name: Chrissy Brimmage
Hometown: Kennesaw, Ga
Classification: Junior
Instagram: @Chrisythablack
Website: chrissybrimmage.com
You’ve probably seen our curly-haired campus celebrity at the Enrollment Services desk in Kell hall. After a self exploration trip to Thailand, Chrissy Brimmage was able to throw away an art style that was holding her back and grow into what now defines her as an artist. Much like Frida Kahlo, Chrissy wouldn’t call herself a surrealist, but her artwork is dreamlike. She did an interview about her trip and her art.
How long have you been doing art?
“In January it made two years.”
How was your trip to Thailand?
“It was for study abroad. It was an excuse to get out there ‘cause I’ve always really wanted to go to Thailand. I’ve always had some kind of pull [to go] there. It was amazing. I was there for seven weeks and i didn’t want to leave. The most important thing about that trip was I met a monk there and he shared different principles about Buddhism, the lesson of impermanence, and letting things go. That was a big thing that contributed to letting my old art style go.”
How would you describe your old art style?
“It was really colorful and whimsical. It was always girls and flowers. Way less structure than what I do now.”
Would you consider yourself a surrealist?
“When I first started drawing, the ideas for my style come from my dreams, but I wouldn’t really say everything is based on my dreams now. It’s kind of voided. I call it wireframing because I don’t know what else to call it. It reminds me of 3D rendering when people build stuff online its like the wires before the actual figure.”
Is your work done online?
“Everything I do is hand drawn.”
What’s your favorite art medium?
“It used to be painting, but now I use ink markers.”
What does your new style of art mean to you?
“I’m still trying to figure that out really. For right now though it’s what I do when I can’t do anything else. Really my sketchbook is like my journal. It’s like a world to figure out this world, if that makes any sense.”
What do you think is your role in Atlanta’s art scene?
“Some people know who I am in Atlanta right now, but not a lot because I haven’t done much, but I think that I’ll get a foot in there because my style is different. Eventually it will gain recognition.”
Where do you want your work to take you?
“Everywhere. I want to be a contemporary artist. I really want my art to serve as a platform to reach people. I’m finally starting to take my art seriously before i go to school, and school takes so much time. I used to always let school rule things. It would be school first, art later, but now I’m making changes and putting my art first. I’m going to finally do showings and network. Now I have a website. I’m slowly starting to do stuff.”
What advice do you have for new artists trying to find their niche?
“Listen to yourself. When I was doing my old stuff it never really felt right. I always felt like something was missing because I didn’t fully feel like myself. When it came time for me to decide if I want to let it go, it could’ve been the end of art for me. But I decided to trust it, and within that same week I discovered my new style and I feel like its me and I can express myself through it. So always listen to yourself and trust yourself.”