"When I did my debut solo show in LA I painted a life size figure on the wall in the gallery. Painting a life size figure planted a seed in me to do big works on paper. Most of the people I painted are taken from my smaller "Waiting" paintings. They are painted from random snap shots of people I don't know but see on a regular basis in the city. I thought it would be cool to do large portraits of these people and put them back in the city. The "Waiting" paintings I do for galleries are my landscapes and these are my portraits.
I spent four months getting ready for my solo at Thinkspace. I am usually pretty loose but the seven I did for Thinkspace I was really careful and tight from start to finish. When I got back I needed to unwind and do some work that was totally different from my gallery work. I painted these pieces with the idea of putting them on the streets so the paintings don't have to be of a certain aesthetic or archival like my gallery work. With this in mind I have total freedom to paint as loose and expressive as I want. This body of work is my most honest work I have done.
I have gone out with friends and watched them put pieces up and it seemed really fun. I thought it would be cool to show the work in my studio, then a gallery, and finally the streets. The idea of doing work and showing it in a gallery and then putting the work on the street seems really interesting."
Street Waiting in Brett's studio...
Getting ready for the one night show at Heist Gallery.
And finally out on the street.