(May 12, 2016) While most shops in Berlin feature some form of art or artist during the town’s monthly 2nd Friday event, it’s rare to see the creative process in action.
Bleached Butterfly, a shop on 3 Pitts Street known for shaking things up, is about to change all of that.
Starting at about 5 p.m. on Friday, Baltimore native Brian Allen Propst Jr. will set up in the storefront window for a live painting demonstration.
The 30-year-old multimedia artist, a graduate of the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore, said he started making art at age 5.
“Picasso said, ‘When you’re a child, everyone is an artist, and when they grow up, it’s a matter of remaining childlike.’ I’ve been doing that forever,” he said. “I started being creative at a young age and I just loved it and never took my eyes off the prize.”
Propst is a longtime friend of Bleached Butterfly owner Autumn Graves, and said he is always up for the chance to collaborate with her.
“There is just this respect for the process [with Graves]. Our collaboration is always going to be dynamic on my end as well as on her end, and there are no egos ever,” he said. “It’s constantly open-ended and equally as ambitious on each side.
“This was her invitation to me to kind of bring in a little bit more of my painting approach, but it’s still going to be catered toward her vibe and her atmosphere,” Propst added. “Everything in there is so rich with atmosphere, and I’m going to be feeding off of that. It’s easy to make the connection with the inspiration one can find.”
He described his vision of the finished project as blending street art and “chic urban style,” along with some slightly “earthier” elements.
“It’s going to have to deal with a little bit of expressive painting, but then it’s going to be a little more representational towards the end. That’s kind of the performance aspect of it,” Propst said.
Recently, he collaborated with two other artists on a similar project during a launch party for Smirnov Vodka. The three painters were set up, all facing away from each other, and painted independently for one hour. Then, they combined all three canvases on one enormous, custom-made easel and worked together for the finished product.
“I love the performance aspect of it – developing a painting that becomes something completely outside of what people saw coming,” Propst said. “It’s little harder to do with one person, but we’ll see how I pull that off.”
Graves said she couldn’t wait to see what her friend comes up with.
“It’s going to be very much graffiti, street art inspired,” she said, adding that refreshments and a live deejay would also be part of the event. “I’m excited.”
Berlin’s 2nd Friday festivities will feature more than a dozen art displays in shops throughout the downtown area, along with sales and specials in area restaurants from 5-8 p.m.
Bleached Butterfly, a shop on 3 Pitts Street known for shaking things up, is about to change all of that.
Starting at about 5 p.m. on Friday, Baltimore native Brian Allen Propst Jr. will set up in the storefront window for a live painting demonstration.
The 30-year-old multimedia artist, a graduate of the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore, said he started making art at age 5.
“Picasso said, ‘When you’re a child, everyone is an artist, and when they grow up, it’s a matter of remaining childlike.’ I’ve been doing that forever,” he said. “I started being creative at a young age and I just loved it and never took my eyes off the prize.”
Propst is a longtime friend of Bleached Butterfly owner Autumn Graves, and said he is always up for the chance to collaborate with her.
“There is just this respect for the process [with Graves]. Our collaboration is always going to be dynamic on my end as well as on her end, and there are no egos ever,” he said. “It’s constantly open-ended and equally as ambitious on each side.
“This was her invitation to me to kind of bring in a little bit more of my painting approach, but it’s still going to be catered toward her vibe and her atmosphere,” Propst added. “Everything in there is so rich with atmosphere, and I’m going to be feeding off of that. It’s easy to make the connection with the inspiration one can find.”
He described his vision of the finished project as blending street art and “chic urban style,” along with some slightly “earthier” elements.
“It’s going to have to deal with a little bit of expressive painting, but then it’s going to be a little more representational towards the end. That’s kind of the performance aspect of it,” Propst said.
Recently, he collaborated with two other artists on a similar project during a launch party for Smirnov Vodka. The three painters were set up, all facing away from each other, and painted independently for one hour. Then, they combined all three canvases on one enormous, custom-made easel and worked together for the finished product.
“I love the performance aspect of it – developing a painting that becomes something completely outside of what people saw coming,” Propst said. “It’s little harder to do with one person, but we’ll see how I pull that off.”
Graves said she couldn’t wait to see what her friend comes up with.
“It’s going to be very much graffiti, street art inspired,” she said, adding that refreshments and a live deejay would also be part of the event. “I’m excited.”
Berlin’s 2nd Friday festivities will feature more than a dozen art displays in shops throughout the downtown area, along with sales and specials in area restaurants from 5-8 p.m.