Brandi Dieter
My love for exploring ghost towns started as a young girl. My family and I were always exploring new ghost towns around the mountainous areas of Colorado. I was always so intrigued by what kind of life the individuals who lived there must have had. My passion for ghost towns has continued to inspire me and I hope to use my passion to highlight the long forgotten places that have stood the tests of time. I want to use my pieces to
evoke a sense of wonder and portray the beauty that can be seen even in the most deserted or dilapidated places. The true beauty is found in the stories that each building can portray. Who lived there? When was it built? What was life like?
How would you describe/define yourself?
I am an ambitious artist and an aspiring entrepreneur who loves to push myself to achieve my goals and dreams.
When and why did you decide to choose painting designing as a career?
I started drawing as a young girl and started using colored pencils at a young age. I actually took some of my mom’s beloved Prisma colored pencils from her stash and used them to draw with instead of my crayola colored pencils and started learning how to blend colors at an early age. I always knew I would pursue art as a career in some way or another because art has always come naturally to me so there wasn’t really a defining moment when I decided to
choose art as a career.
What according to you is a favorite part of being a Paint Artist?
I think my favorite part of drawing is creating something that makes people stop and reflect on my pieces. I like looking at their reactions to my drawings. Sometimes they will say things like “you drew that?” or “I know exactly where that is!” and start telling me their story about that particular location. It’s fun and satisfying when you create artwork that connects you to your audience.
What inspires you as an Artist? How do you visualize your muses?
As an artist I am inspired by my adventures especially when I am outdoors or when I encounter a historical
building that appears to have some sort of backstory. I have always been fascinated by abandoned places
because they make me wonder who lived there and what life was like in these deserted places. This is
part of the mood I want to create in my pieces. I want to invigorate my audience’s imagination in regards to
the backstory of the subject matter. I want them to visualize who lived there and what kind of life they must have lived.
What’s your signature painting element? And why?
I think my signature painting/drawing element is incorporating rustic elements such as rusted metal, weathered wood and peeling paint in my drawings. I believe these elements add more character and interest to my drawings and give it a sense of desolation and despair that I want to embrace in my artwork.
The painting you created are best without any doubt, but who and which things were your inspiration while creating such painting?
Thank you. I have always been inspired by artists who can take a picture or something from reality such as a landscape or a person and paint or draw something that looks exactly like the subject matter. Sometimes
these artists even make the subject matter look even more real than it is in reality. I am inspired by artistssuch as Charles M. Russell, Carl Gustav Rodde, Norman Rockwell and more modern day ones who
are lesser known that I come across as I scroll through Instagram. I am also very inspired by my surroundings while I am out on adventures around the state of Colorado.
What’s the best piece of artistic advice you’ve heard? And do you follow it?
I think the best piece of artistic advice I received was in college from one of my drawing professors. He told
me to not let my artwork just lay around in a portfolio but to display it. He told me to do something with it
because it was too special to leave laying around. I have taken his advice and have entered into
competitions, put my artwork online such as Instagram and created a website displaying my artwork that has captured the attention of magazines and other people who are interested in my work.
As we all know job of a painter is very tough. So how do you keep your mental and physical health fit?
As an artist there are times I just don’t feel like I am in the right mood to create so I allow myself to have some down time away from drawing or creating. For me, taking walks and exploring can help restore that creative energy while helping me to maintain my physical fitness.
What advice would you give to someone just starting out in their career and hoping to make it big as a Paint Artist?
Never give up and don’t let anyone discourage you from pursuing your dreams. I would also say sometimes it takes time and determination to be discovered for your talent so don’t despise small beginnings.
To whom would you like to give credits of your journey till now?
I would like to give credits to my professors in art school and to all who helped me on my journey, including my mom who inspired me to be an artist as a young girl. I would also like to say thank you Sfumato Gallery for allowing me to be part of your community and lifting up artists who aren’t always in the spotlight!
Anything you wish to share or quote in your interview?
I have always liked this quote and I think it is a great one to end this interview: “Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all” - Dale Carnegie
