Artist Profile: Marissa Brown

Our onça classics crowdfunding campaign passed the $3,000 mark! Thank you so, so much to everyone who has contributed so far. You guys are the best!But with one week left, we still have a long way to go. I ask that you please share the campaign on every outlet you have—FAcebook, Twitter, blog, in person—word of mouth is the best chance we have of getting this campaign closer to the goal.I'd also like to introduce our second contributing artist: Marissa Brown.Marissa is a painter who focuses on portraiture with elements of the fantastic or surreal. "I love the inner workings of people," she says, "and I love exploring and documenting elements of human nature—gender, sexuality, connection, memory, dreams, death." This often means that Marissa's paintings are dark or violent. The advantage of working with the fantastic, says Marissa, is that it "gives me more tools to play with in terms of what I can express, without being restricted to what is 'real.'" This is also what draws her to fantasy in literature, and  the story of Jekyll and Hyde. "Science fiction is a great weather vane for the current beliefs of a culture or society, and Jekyll and Hyde is a perfect example of that."Marissa works mostly in oils, acrylics and inks. "I like the decadent texture and intensity of oil paints. Good-quality acrylics are nice for working fast, or laying down an underpainting. Watercolour and pastel are too gentle for me!"Marissa is donating one piece of exclusive Jekyll & Hyde–themed art to our cause. Get a poster of her work for a $20 donation; or for only $350 dollars, you get to have the original art, plus a copy of our limited edition of Jekyll & Hyde and 40% lifetime discount on Onça Classics!Make sure sure to check out more of Marissa's work on her Facebook profile.