GET TO KNOW BRITTANY MALDONADO
Q: WHAT INSPIRES YOUR WORK? / WHERE DO YOU DRAW INSPIRATION FROM?
A: I am inspired by the nuances of everyday life, love, pain, and growth. I use art as a release. As a way to express emotions when words simply won't suffice. I'm driven by the process of healing. By the journey to resilience. I draw inspiration from the beauty in the breakdown. The power in the new versions of ourselves that come after.
Q: WHAT IS THE ONE ART RELATED ITEM THAT YOU CANNOT LIVE WITHOUT (I.E. CAMERA, PAINT BRUSH, PENCIL, ETC.)?
A: I have all of my collage materials in a series of folders organized by color/shade/texture. Every time I start a new piece, that cluster of folders is the first thing I plop on the table. It is the vision waiting to come to life. The components that carry my initial idea to fruition. So I'd def go with that.
Q: HOW HAVE YOUR LIFE EXPERIENCES SHAPED YOUR WORK?
A: My path through life has been a rocky one. A lot of longing. A lot of searching. A lot of pining. A lot of silent sadness. A jagged journey to a place of acceptance and self-love that I am very much still on. There is a lot of pain in my work, and I leave it on the page to honor the fact that it exists/existed, and as a symbol of my dedication to move through and past it. No matter how different the figure in my work may be, there is a piece of me in it, connecting me to the viewer, saying this is me. This is us.
Q: WHAT INSPIRES THE TITLES OF YOUR WORK, HOW DO YOU NAME THEM?
A: I never name a piece until I am completely done with it. Usually a finished piece strikes me in such a way that the name manifests instantly as the last piece is placed. Sometimes it's a name. Sometimes it's a phrase. It's always a sentiment.
