Art Chowder September | October Issue No. 29 | Page 11

I love Kentucky and I kind of grew up in that Bible Belt area but I spent some formative years in
Chicago, San Diego, and Baltimore — incredibly different regions. I feel that helped shape not
just my art but also who I am.
M.J.: Did you have a mentor, take classes, or learn on your own?
Brandy: I took some art courses in school but for the most part, I’m self-taught. The journey
has been interesting. It’s a lot of trial and error and I’m always looking for ways to improve.
M.J.: Interesting is a leading term, can you describe an interesting instance?
Brandy: I was still in high school when I decided I was going to try to do art
full time. I sold my first piece — an oil painting of a large koi fish — to a boutique
hotel during my junior year. At the time I worked mostly in oils and
had done a few murals in the city — much different than what I do now. I
was young and worked in an art gallery already, so I thought that would
be my stepping stone but I think my age and the fact that I didn’t have a
mentor, worked against me. I was too timid and was taken advantage of. I
burned out on creating art entirely, got rid of all my stuff, and didn’t pick
up a paintbrush for years.
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