Interview with Chris Brett

SIMPLE SIX

1. Besides art & music what else drives you?
* Friends, Family and my day job as a Dogwalker....
They all teach me to appreciate the simple enjoyments of everyday life.

2. Favourite character from the Muppets?
* Gonzo the Great!

3. Window or isle?
* Anything beyond 3 hours i need the isle.... im 6' 2,
so i need to be able to stretch alot on long commutes....
if its a short bus or train ride then i'll take the window for sure....

4. 3 favourite colours to use?
* Pink, Orange, Black

5. First thing on your mind most mornings?
* Coffee.....


6. Favourite artist to collaborate with?
* My old graffiti buddies.





DOWN to BUSINESS

• What style of art do you create & where did it start for you?
* I guess my work could be called "Suburban Contemporary"
or "NewBrow"...... I have some graffiti elements in alot
of my pieces, being from the suburbs of Toronto, I was
primarily paintings Fr8's and spots along the transit lines
into T.O..... It involved alot of bushwacking most times and
i loved that aspect of nature meets concrete and steel, those
experiences of graffiti stuck with me alot deeper then when i
would paint the inner city.... That mixed with a steady diet of
Disney, Dr. Seuss, Jim Henson, Ren & Stimpy, and Saturday
morning cartoons growing up. I guess my style could more or less
be called Fun....



• Who was your main inspiration at the start?
* My main inspirations at the very start was some graffiti writers
from Calgary, Alberta. It was around 97-98 when i started to catch
all these pieces and throwups along the c-train line to my school
from these guys Pestoe & Voes... Over the course of about a year these
2 guys hit most if not the entire line.. station to station... corner
to corner of the city... that really impressed me, and had me
start diggin deeper into the graffiti scene in Calgary.
Eventually started painting with a couple guys from my high school,
and then my boys i met when i moved out east to Ontario. The Ontario
guys were my main inspiration in terms of work ethic... Hardest
working dudes i know.


• What are you trying to say or create with your art?
* Im trying to create a sense of tension with my work, but also a sense
of relief. The Nostalgic feel of a technicolored childhood, paired
with the "life aint perfect" sensibilities of an Adult.... I enjoy
the viewer creating there own meaning versus telling them directly.
My experience with the painting is personal as is the viewers
experience, and i enjoy hearing how that experience overlaps or
differs entirely..... bottom line is i hope people are amused and
mildly disturbed when they see my work.


• Where have you taken your art or had it put up?
*Ive had shows in Calgary, Toronto, Ottawa, Miami, SF, Des Moines,
and Seattle..... Unfortunately on my budget ive only been able
to physically bring my work to local shows in Toronto and Ottawa.

• How have you used your art to change your lifestyle?
*I dont go out and party very much. Weekends in the studio are
pretty common. Before that it was weekends in the train yards. Art
has been a great way to blow off steam and feel like a productive
human being.... not to say i dont go out and Rage, but its few and
far between.


• How does the community benefit from your art?
* Hopefully by making them smile.




• With the boom of urban art & the many classifications such as street
art, graffiti, bombers. . How do you view these styles & what would
you like to say about them?
* I view all those styles as important pieces to the new movement of
art we've been experiencing over the last 30 years. The are all
equally important, and to appreciate one you have to appreciate
the other....... Im still very excited by what im seeing in all facets
of the "culture" and look forward to its further evolution in
the generations to come.



Info:

To stay in touch with new works, shows, and musings

http://www.ChrisBrett.ca
http://www.twitter.com/ChrisBrett
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Art-of-Chris-Brett/266892240808