Inside A Miami-Based Painter’s Colorful Universe

Miami-based artist Isabel Brinck lives in a fantasy world–well, part of the time. Her graphic, brightly colored oil-and-acrylic paintings are dreamlike, but they’re based in the realities of life: some sad moments, some wonderful memories. Here, she discusses some of the people and places that have influenced her life and work — be it strong, independent women, the Portuguese coastline or her favorite childhood book.

Miami artist Isabel Brinck's new series, Oneiric (meaning related to dreams), is headlined by this large artwork, Scarlet.

Conducting her work in the open studio space, the "walls" were outfitted with wheels to easily configure different environments depending on her work flow.

She keeps her pencils and paints neatly separated--a product of her disciplined demeanor.

Brinck starts working on projects by subconsciously doodling, which she finds most therapeutic and productive.

I am not a 'messy' artist," says Brinck, who uses her Pinterest-inspired shelf to help organize books, portfolios and papers.

After drawing the illustrations on large canvases--sometimes as tall as 8 feet high--and adding color, they truly come to life.

My three-step creative process consists of:
1. Just
2. Do
3. It

After I get home, I unwind by:

Having a glass of wine. Or maybe two.

Tell us about a piece that turned out differently than how you expected.

What often happens to me is that after finishing a painting I find one little thing that bothers me and decide to cover the entire thing. I usually cover everything but leave just one little trace, while painting something totally new.

What’s one vacation/destination you always tell your friends to add to their bucket list?

Portugal! Great food, rich culture, amazing views, a temperate climate and just about the closest thing Europe has to a bargain. Cascais is especially magical to me. It is a delightful Portuguese fishing town situated on the western edge of the beautiful Lisbon coastline.

Which three people, dead or alive, would you invite to your dream dinner party?

Cleopatra, Marie Antoinette and Gala Dali. I’d make it a powerful ladies’ night to get to know their secrets.

I always keep these three items on my nightstand:

Artificial tears, a daily meditations book and a magnifying glass (I like to look at the detail of everything).

Tell us about your all-time favorite place in your home:

My recently remodeled, open kitchen is the heart of the house that creates the perfect atmosphere to share with my family and friends. It invites everyone in and is responsible for many great memories!

The artist I look up to the most is:

Roberto Matta, a Chilean-born painter of mysterious fantastic environments whom people always compare me to.

Tell us about your all-time favorite book:

The Little Prince. It’s a book that shaped my childhood and still impacts me now.

The best piece of advice I ever received was:

“Intelligent people know how to get out of trouble,” from my father.