‘I love anything that feels romantic and spiritual to me, but most of my ideas are honestly so random.’

Bridgette Yvette, Babylon

“I’ve been painting since childhood, and I never plan to stop. My art is very flowy and feminine. I love working with acrylic paint. I would love to work with oil paint one day because that’s what my grandpa would use, and I loved the look of it. Oil flows a little bit better. I want people to feel relaxed looking at my work. I love working big, using as much colors as possible, and I love telling a story. I’m very inspired by love and romance, and I think my pieces really capture the feeling of being in love. I love movement. I’m really inspired by Degas and his ballerinas I’ve been painting since childhood, and I never plan to stop.

So many times when I paint, five minutes turns into five hours.

“I was always encouraged by my family. My grandparents on my mom’s side both loved to paint, so when I showed interest in art as a kid, they were really supportive and encouraging. Once I learned my colors, my grandma would quiz me by asking me to name the colors on the outfits I was wearing. Growing up, I also watched my mom decorate cakes and make stained-glass windows. My dad handmade our dining room table out of wood, and it has a beautiful compass rose inlay in the middle. Being surrounded by so much creativity was so inspiring to me. I always loved to express myself through art because I had such great examples and so much support.

“I love anything that feels romantic and spiritual to me, but most of my ideas are honestly so random. I’ll either be reading something or watching something, or I’m out in nature and one thing makes me think of something else, and then that something else turns into a seed of an idea that I become obsessed with. I get really immersed in my work, so I have to be careful. So many times when I paint, five minutes turns into five hours.”

Interviewed by Maggie Rose Melito