Today we’d like to introduce you to Lily Brick.
Hi Lily, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
My story as a mural artist was born by chance. I was working in a print shop, and at the time, I didn’t expect at all that I would end up in this amazing world. Behind the desk, I met a person who was part of the city’s old-school graffiti scene, who often invited me to their graffiti meetings. One day I decided to accept his invitation and when I arrived and started playing with the spray can, I began to fall in love with this technique. I discovered what I like the most in a way I didn’t even expect. As soon as I started to paint more and more often, the commissions also came, which allowed me to leave the printing company where I was working, and which has allowed me to make it my full-time job for the last 8 years.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The road has been very difficult, more often than I would like it to be. When I started working as a muralist, everything was such a new world; from learning how to use a lift to trying to fit into today’s business world and to be able to have a workspace like any other professional. Because I started my career as a young woman, I’ve been forced to make myself respected as a professional artist, also to dissuade people from the perpetuated view of spray paint as a criminal weapon. It happens now less often, but in the beginning, it was very common for me to hear comments about my ability to carry a lift and to be alone doing this titanic job. These disparaging comments have always been a minority, but hopefully one day they will fade away for good.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
As a mural artist, I try to narrate in my work the everyday life, the beauty of everyday living, those details that make us human, such as love, friendship, joy, and the magic of playing and discovering. I try to look positively, and I can’t avoid being romantic in my works and using warm chromatic ranges. My pieces stand out for their powerful gazes, which transmit emotions and give a glimpse of the story they are telling. Stylistically, my work could be described as figurative and realistic but not hyperrealistic, as I use a style that is closer to illustration. I’m specialized in large-format murals made with spray and plastic paint. I am known for being one of the few girls who paint realism in large format in Spain, and I’m very proud to have got this far and to have lost fear the next day. Murals are like stages, you can be very proud of the last piece you have done, but it’s another step to keep moving forward, to go on, growing project by project. I’m self-taught, so I don’t have specific knowledge in Fine Arts; on the other hand, I don’t have a graffiti background, but I do spray paint. I am like a hybrid artist, as I don’t seem to use spray paint because of my impressionistic, visceral and romantic style. Likewise, I paint with spray, but it looks like I’m applying oil paint, definitely not the usual way of using spray paint. The romantic context of my works brings me closer to the Beaux-Arts people.
If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
When I was a child, I loved to talk to everyone, but I was also a very sensitive girl. If I made people laugh and spend a good time with them, everything was wonderful, but emotionally difficult situations always brought tears to my eyes. I was very tearful, and I’m still very sensitive today, as you can guess from my work. As a child, I didn’t stand out for being a good drawer. I enjoyed drawing, like all children, although I wasn’t particularly good at it. I was always very nervous and restless, I didn’t need much to throw me off the scent. There is a lot of that little girl in the person I am now.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.lily.cat/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lily__brick/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/LilyStreetArt
Image Credits
Personal Photo Credits: Kevin Muenkel Image Number 8 (Banc Aliments) Credits: Genaro Massot
