“I’m not the traditional painter. Whatever I’m inspired to do…I do.” And by that, the boyishly charmed Brian Davis of Brianstudio means he doesn’t just paint, he literally follows where inspiration leads. Whether it’s portraits, fashion, company branding, or even creating a whole interior design concept for your home or office. Brian Davis is a creative “gypsy” of sorts, making Brianstudio virtually a “one-stop shop” for any and all of your creative needs.
Brian Davis says he grew up on glam rock and Saturday morning cartoons, and was always a “visual kid” with ideas and a special way of looking at things. He started drawing by the age of 6, and is quite proud that the first picture he chose to draw was a 32-piece KISS drum kit—surely an early indicator of what a sprite spirit he is. Growing up in the small town of Lexington, North Carolina, he found that even though he couldn’t afford to go out and do what other kids could do, he was able to explore and escape in his own mind. And from there he was also able to explore any creative angle that caught his attention, which at one point included fashion and sketching a whole line of clothing for young men when he was just 14, though it was never pursued. In fact, Davis admits that even though his parents were supportive of his creativity, he never really considered his art as a career option in his youth. He explains how he has had “a very gradual progression into becoming a working artist.”
Brian, who has a resembling hint of Collin Farrell and always ready with a swift, pick-me-up a joke, originally set out to be a comedian/actor, however he realized soon enough how that world wasn’t exactly for him, which lead him on the path to many odd jobs. And luckily, it was this path of odd jobs that would bestow Brian with an artistic agility and the backbone to his rising company. He once worked in a printing company that would later serve as his background in graphic arts and branding, a furniture company where he learned elements for his own furniture designs, as well as interior designing. Davis explains how he continued to toe the line of conventional rules of making a living, surviving day to day, and allowing himself to feel out what career was really meant for him. There was a good ten to fifteen years of figuring it out where his true passion was, which ultimately led him back to his first love of drawing and painting. He decided to go to design school for Commercial Art and Graphic Design amidst all the odd jobs, and stumbled into a brief taste of freelancing as an artist by doing wall murals around town right before being lured to High Point, North Carolina. It was there he got into real estate at its height, and discovered his panache for rearranging (staging) a home’s aesthetic, finding a buyer and procuring the financing all in one fell swoop. But with the onslaught of the housing fallout, Davis was again trying to come into sync with his true purpose and essentially “fell back on what [he] was most comfortable, which was creating art.”
And creating art is decidedly the sweet spot of life for Brian. When you look through his body of work you will see all the many things Davis does: Furniture invigorated with his artistic touch, company logos, clothing with his thematic designs, and of course paintings. Brian has an affinity for capturing people, especially those with a certain “something” to them. He has complete passion for each of the mediums he works in, though once he starts to open up, you will find he really loves the mural work. Doing large-scale artwork is very challenging, but is something that comes very easily for Davis. He comments, “I just think and I see so big, so broad, so it’s easy for me to do something along the scale of a mural. It doesn’t’ scare me at all. I would rather do things on billboard size.” He has the same fervor when discussing large scale projects in general, and how he would love the opportunity to help a client create the environment they need for whatever their purposes. Taking a building and all inclusively orchestrate the architecture, interior design, furniture, and of course the art, into a custom space. “…Basically give me a blank slate [a building] and tell me what you need it for and I would just pour my heart and soul into creating this environment…I love to step back and look at what I’ve created, and if it’s larger than life…than that’s such a satisfaction.”
Brian Davis is modest about his success thus far because he knows it wasn’t easy. He speaks of his “dogged determination" to live and to just not quit, and to not sell [him]self short, and just keep believing. And somehow this small town boy, who had to think big in order to make his way in the world, was able to wholeheartedly listen to his true calling and become the multifaceted artist he is Today. He has reverence over the fact his work is a culmination of him learning to push his artistic vision and abilities, as well as, the many jobs he had along the way he didn’t realize would be an integral part of all that he does now. He loves how his passion and career are one and the same, and has embraced the
journeyman he is and the roads he dutifully traveled in order to come into his own and all that comprises Brianstudio.
Originally published in DStripped Magazine
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