Brooklyn Bartley is a 23-year-old painter who works mostly in gouache and paints portraits that range from realistic to abstract, often with Christian imagery. She paints in her living room, primes every surface with a thin layer of color, and dreams of seeing her work in a gallery one day.
Brooklyn Bartley paints faces. When she works from a reference, a portrait turns out realistic. When she paints from scratch and memory, things tend to become a little warped, and that warping is where much of her abstract work comes from. Her faith runs through many of the paintings: she says she figured out she could depict complex theological ideas with a few lines and splashes of color, and ran with it. She sent her work to the deckarts contest, and we asked her ten questions about her studio, her process and what she would like to do next. More of her work is on her Instagram, and an earlier interview with her ran in Visual Art Journal in July 2026.
Where Does Brooklyn Bartley Paint?
If we dropped by while you were painting, what would we find? Where do you work, and what's usually going on around you?
I usually work in my living room, or even on the floor. I used to spread out trash bags as a drop cloth but I've since upgraded to a professional plastic drop cloth. I live with my grandma and there's usually not too much going on, which makes it easy to create.
Do you remember making a portrait that left you thinking, "I want to keep doing this"? Tell us about it.
I painted an abstract portrait at Rogue Collective Studio, the residency of Clara Woods, and she gave me a thumbs up as I painted it. It was just the encouragement I needed, and I realized that if this amazing artist likes my work, maybe I could grow too.
How Does a Portrait Become Realistic or Abstract?
You paint both realistic and abstract faces. Do you know which direction a portrait will take before you begin, or can it change along the way?
It depends on if I use a reference. If I use a reference, it usually turns out more realistic, but if I just create something from scratch and memory, things tend to become a little warped.
Your characters have such expressive faces. Which detail do you usually start with: the eyes, the mouth, the outline, or something else?
I either start with the outline or the eyes, but first, I prime whatever I'm painting on with a thin layer of color because it makes the painting come to life.
What do you enjoy most about working with gouache? And is there anything about it that keeps testing your patience?
I love how similar gouache is to oil and acrylic but how it stays separate from the two. I really enjoy layering the different colors to create dimension and mood. What tests my patience is that colors sometimes get muddled if the paint isn't dry enough, so I usually use a hairdryer for this issue.
Faith and Two Paintings
Christian imagery appears in some of your paintings. How did it become part of your work?
I am a Christian myself, and I have an enormous love for my faith. I figured out I could depict complex theological ideas with a few lines and splashes of color and I ran with it.
Tell us about one of the paintings you submitted to the contest. Who does it depict, and what's the story behind it?
One of the paintings I had submitted, "Death Defeated", depicts a bald, blue, rather morose figure with their hand to their heart while a snake is being slain in the background. This to me suggests that good things do happen sometimes, evil can be done away with, and you have to hold onto love.
On Skateboard Decks
What caught your attention about our contest? How do you feel about seeing one of your portraits on a skateboard?
This would be a dream come true! I have always loved skate culture, even though I'm horrible at skateboarding. What caught my attention is the way your contest uses little to no editing to the original photo.
What Comes Next for Brooklyn Bartley?
You mentioned dreaming of showing your work in a gallery. Imagine your exhibition opens tomorrow: which painting would you hang by the entrance?
I would definitely hang up "Confusion." It's my favorite piece and I think it would help to persuade a few people to see more of my art.
What's on your worktable right now? What are you working on, and what would you like to try next?
Right now I'm working on a large portrait of a woman eating tomatoes. It's from a reference image, and it's been difficult so far, but I know that some works can't be masterpieces. I would love to paint more 8 by 10 pieces. It's more digestible for me to work smaller. Or maybe if I'm daring, I'd work on a mural. Thank you for the questions!
Follow Brooklyn Bartley on Instagram or read her earlier interview in Visual Art Journal.
Interview summary
- Brooklyn Bartley is a 23-year-old painter who works mostly in gouache and paints portraits that are realistic or abstract.
- Her portraits follow her source: a reference image usually gives a more realistic result, while painting from scratch and memory makes faces a little warped.
- She primes every surface with a thin layer of color before starting, then begins with the outline or the eyes.
- She uses a hairdryer to dry gouache between layers, because colors can muddle when the paint is not dry enough.
- Her faith is the source of her Christian imagery, and "Death Defeated" shows a blue figure with a hand on their heart while a snake is slain behind them.
- She would hang "Confusion" by the entrance of her first gallery show, and she is currently painting a large portrait of a woman eating tomatoes.
Answers are the artist's own, edited only for length and clarity.
About the Author
Stanislav Arnautov is the founder of deckarts, a graphic designer and print specialist originally from Ukraine, now based in Berlin, where he personally designs and prepares every deck. Follow on Instagram or visit stasarnautov.com.
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