Black Artists You Should Know: Breyahna Monet
Breyahna Monet
By Takiyah Ward
In our second to last feature we get to check back in with my best friend, artist Breyahna Monet. Breyahna, or Breeze as she likes to be called, is new to the art scene but already making waves. Her introduction to the art form of painting came after having endured a life altering event. In need of an outlet for mental and emotional processing she turned to the canvas, and hasn't turned back since. Knowing Breyaha as well as I do, she’s always been creative. And similarly we both turned to plans that we felt would provide stability rather than pursuing our passions, only to wind up artists eventually. It’s been an honor to witness her journey over our 27 year best friendship and I look forward to all the amazing things she will accomplish.
We got to first sit down with Breeze in the second to last episode of season one of Art Of The Matter where we visited her at her studio and coincidentally the site of two of her largest public art pieces. In the fall of 2020 Breeze was enlisted by Christopher Paul Jordan to assist in the painting of the Manny Ellis mural in Tacoma Wa. Manny was a local victim of police brutality right around the time of George Floyd and civil unrest in the city and around the world. Her work caught the attention of Tacoma’s art scene and shortly after she would paint several other large scale works that would cement her position as an artist. The largest of which being the Design The Hill project, which reimagined a vacated storefront into arts and performance space. Breyahna went from painting a piece for the project, to painting the entire building! A vibrant multi color blocking technique breathes new life into the facade of this structure and the block at large, as the Manny Ellis mural is just across the way. Her workspace is filled with canvases of all sizes, adorned with subjects that speak to Breyahna’s sensibility as an artist to do what makes you happy. It’s apparent in every piece she makes that
More recently Breyahna had the opportunity to have a few key figures from her paintings blown into glass and is also working on some more sculptural art works. She still works as a master barber if you're ever in need of a fresh and clean cut, but spends most of her days creating in her studio. So happy for my best friend!
@breyahnamonetpaints
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