INSPIRATION
“I am a prolific painter. Art is a stimulating and
vital process for me. I want to fill each image
with passion and beauty. I want to make some-
thing real. I want people to feel uplifted by this
exotic and sensual art. I want these colors to
make people feel more alive.” Brandi is
devoted to the concept of painting the most
beautiful nude possible, while adhering to no
conventional standards of beauty, and follow-
ing no realistic image of how the human form
should appear. This unconventional approach
to rendering form has directed her interests
towards evermore abstract imagery. The
abstract nature of her work allows for full
sensory inspiration. “A song, gloomy weather,
fashion, my horoscope…anything can be an
inspiration at the prime moment.”

STYLE
Brandi’s distinctive style developed through the
process of experimentation. The beginning of
her exploration involved a natural appetite for
vibrant and vivid colors employed to convey
different emotional undertones. Guided by an
intense fascination with the female form she
completed painting after painting as she
sharpened her compositional skills. Through
the process of evolution she began to incorp-
orate cubist lines and powerful symbolism.
Gradually, over many years, she found her
authentic artistic voice in her matured style.
Her current style is marked by crisp bold lines,
balanced composition, rich hues, and refined
blending techniques. These elements are
combined in nudes, still life’s, and abstract
images.

Brandi Fairbanks is a Pacific Northwest artist living and
working in Bellingham, Washington. She is a self taught
artist who has been painting and working in oil pastels
for nearly twenty years. Her distinctive style is character-
ized by vivid and sensual bold images. She has devoted
her career to an exploration of color and form. She has
been captivated by the abstract beauty of the female
body. Brandi’s female forms are lush, full-bodied, and
invigorated by cubism. Brandi’s prolific body of work
illustrates her enthusiasm, passion, and dedication to her
work.

EARLY LIFE
Brandi was born in Bellingham, Washington in 1973. She
is the youngest of four children, and her life experience
was greatly shaped by growing up in a home with a
mentally ill father. She found the unpredictability and
oddity of her situation to be both unsettling and
entertaining. Many of the bizarre and sometimes
traumatic experiences of her childhood sparked an
adolescent need for self expression. As a teenager,
Brandi discovered the ideal outlet for her emotional rec-
overy in high school art classes. She began painting and
embarked on a mysterious journey of self-exploration
and artistic endeavor.

CAREER
Brandi has amassed a portfolio of over 500 completed and
cataloged works. She has been selling her work independ-
ently for over 15 years. Most of her customers are kind folks
who run across her art at street fairs and art shows. She is a
hard working artist of the gritty variety, prone to long
intervals of concentrated effort broken up by glimmers of
achievement. She is presently trying to manifest career succ-
ess through avid fantasy.

TECHNIQUE/DEVELOPMENT
The bulk of Brandi’s work is in oil pastel on paper. She has
worked extensively with Sennelier and Neopastel on Arches
400 lb. 100% cotton hot pressed
paper. Her blending is highly
refined; Brandi works with a
knife, cotton swabs, a blank bar,
and her fingers to achieve a
smooth evenly blended affect.
Each of these pieces is treated
with fixative, and must be
framed for preservation. In 2006
Brandi began painting with
Golden Acrylics on canvas, and
shortly thereafter started
experimenting with the resin emulsion processes. Another key
element present throughout her body of work is the incorp-
oration of gold, silver, and copper leaf. These precious metals
are a flashy accent contrasting with pastels and acrylics.

PERSONAL LIFE

Brandi is happily married to fellow artist Brett Cleveland. They
share three children, and have created a lovely multicultural
home. They occupy a charming Victorian house with a
humble studio space in the basement. Some of Brandi’s
favorite artists include the Polish Art Deco painter Tamara
De Limpicka, and Mexican artist’s Frieda Kahlo, Pablo
Picasso, and Diego Rivera. She is drawn to dramatic sensual
artwork that studies or reflects upon the human condition.