Rising Stars: Meet Breann Bassler of Boulder

Today we’d like to introduce you to Breann Bassler.

Hi Breann, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I think I was always interested in nature and art. I remember making little books with illustrations about the solar system and dinosaurs when I was in pre-school. That interest kept going through middle and high school and into college when I studied Communication Arts at Virginia Commonwealth University. I got more into outdoor recreation and adventure in college, and that lead to bigger adventures and eventually moving to Colorado to be close to mountains, outdoor recreation, and nature.

I’ve been experimenting with different creative mediums, but have always seemed to come back to traditional painting and sketching as my main artistic expression. I eventually found tiny paint palettes and water-brushes which brought my painting from mostly an indoor hobby to something I mainly do on location in nature. This combines with the desire to connect with a creative outdoor community has really resulted in my current art style and subject matter. It also influences my preferred size of work because everything needs to be able to travel with me.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I think I view my art journey as more of a meander than anything. Most of my professional career has been varied, but has given me skills that always come in handy for what I do next. Working at an outdoor program gave me the ability to plan a trip and improvise when things don’t go as planned. My time at a tattoo shop taught me to be more sure of my own style preferences and opinions because nothing is meant for everyone, and trying to please everyone just results in mediocre work. Working in Upholstery taught me how to work more in three dimensions and how to really work across really weird/unique design requirements.

And all of that informs how I approach art and my own artistic creations. For a time I was really unsure of how to continue making art because I wasn’t working strictly as an artist. But I’ve developed a very consistent design language across a variety of mediums (linoleum printing, wood burning, painting, and more) and I feel like the comfort in a variety of mediums comes from such a varied background of other interests and hobbies. So it’s been more of a constant journey to identify what I like about making art and finding ways to express that.

Recently, I’ve had such a wonderful opportunity to participate in CRAFt (Community Roots Arts Festival) and that has really ignited a new love for the arts scene in Colorado. I get to be in a community with all of these amazing BIPOC artists, and their excitement and the energy leading up to CRAFt really gets me excited about making more art and trying new things.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I think I have unintentionally specialized in sticker designs. One of the stickers I designed for a friend’s birthday (climbing related with a peach on it) really got popular and has been sent/seen as far away as Denmark!

The small size and memorable nature of good stickers really appeals to me. It’s always fun to talk to people about what they’re looking for when it comes to an illustration that represents their brand. And the adaptation of that brand aesthetic into a sticker is something that gets all of the creative juices flowing. It also is such a unique way to experience art. It’s portable, durable, and personal in a way really large works just can’t be. So knowing that people like my art enough to put it on a water bottle or other item they use every day is a really high compliment.

Most of the time ideas for stickers come really easily to me. A conversation with a friend or something I see will get ideas going and I have to text them to myself so I don’t forget them. Then it’s just a good audio book and a few hours in Procreate and I have a sticker basically completed.

Do you any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
It’s one that influenced some of the tattoos I have. I remember being around 11 and wading into this wineberry bush that grew down the street from my house in the woods. My family would go out every evening on a walk after dinner and this bush was finally fruiting for the summer. So we had these quart takeout containers and I was almost eye level with the tallest part of the bush, in the middle of it, eating berries and putting some in the container to take home.

That was the first wild food I learned how to identify and it really influenced how I looked at the nature around me. I wanted to know what everything was called and if I could eat it. So just another push toward loving the outdoors and nature in a way that influenced my love of botanical illustration and the way I make art.

Pricing:

• If you want to talk sticker designs I would love to!
• Or other botanical/nature inspired illustrative work.

Contact Info:

• Website: wellmend.art
• Instagram: @_wel_mend_
• Other: well.mend.art@gmail.com

Image Credits
IMG_1335.JPG image credit Mark Koh 20230813_06351 image credit Asger Limkilde IMG_4918.JPG image credit @vowsontherun or @sunnybrookphotos