Brittney Banks

Ever since I was little, I filled sketchbooks with drawings of willowy girls in dresses. In elementary school I received the art award upon graduating the 8th grade. I had a crazy art teacher who had parrots flying around the room and rabbits hopping around while we created. It was a liberal environment at an early age that definitely had an impact on my expressionist style today. I started painting portraits in high school. The face became an easier, more interesting thing for me to capture than a still life or a landscape. I had many wonderful teachers who encouraged me. I entered a few contests and won a few awards. I went to college at Indiana University for languages and Studio Art. My junior year I studied abroad in Paris to study French, painting, drawing and printmaking at the Sorbonne. After IU, I went to FIT for 1 year of fashion design. Now I am in New York, trying to make it as a portrait artist and fashion designer.