Painter Andrea Marie Breiling takes an original approach to forms of expressive abstraction. Enacting the enlivened, syncopated gestures of sweeping strokes and kaleidoscopic layering through mediums of spray paint and dye, her vibrating color block patterns and occasional blossoms hint at rich textures and radiate luminosity through the suffusive action of the nozzle and drip. Gorgeous hot reds, pinks, and oranges intersect with shimmering cool blues and living greens and whites, creating movement without space, bustle without noise, and strange joy through a sort of obsessive exuberance. Her current exhibition aptly titled BIG MOOD closes this weekend at Night Gallery.

Andrea Marie Breiling, BIG MOOD, installation view at Night Gallery, 2020 (Photograph by Marten Elder, courtesy of the artist and Night Gallery)

L.A. WEEKLY: When did you first know you were an artist? 

ANDREA MARIE BREILING: I was raised by artists! I remember my grandmother having me do exercises as early as the age five from Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain by Betty Edwards. She was an artist herself as a writer and avid quilt maker. The world I was raised in was abundantly filled with joy, imagination, expression and color.

What is your short answer to people who ask you what your work is about?

Life: love, heartache, tragedy, joy, freedom, the lack of freedom, pain and happiness — the list goes on…

Did you go to art school? Why?/Why not?

Yes, I wanted to be around like-minded people to give me a sense of community, to challenge me, and to help me grow.

Why do you live/work in L.A., and not elsewhere?

L.A. is the most vibrant city in the U.S. in my opinion. The diverse cultures and ethnicities, the clash in the high brow, low brow — there’s nothing like it. I love how close every part of the city is yet how different they are from Beverly Hills to South L.A. to Hollywood, all iconic but all in different ways. I love how people come here to pursue their dreams, the landscape, the palm trees, the beach, Downtown, the graffiti! This city is never boring, endlessly inspiring and romantic, always charged — unlike where I’m from (Phoenix, Arizona, the dread of what seems middle class, of dreams going nowhere). I love the hustler energy that makes me want to give back through my work. I desire to inspire people/the city throughout my work the way it/they have inspired me.

Andrea Marie Breiling, “Through the Crest,” 2020 (Photograph by Marten Elder, courtesy of the artist and Night Gallery)

When was your first show? 

My first solo show was in grad school 2014, my thesis show exhibition.

When is/was your current/most recent/next show?

My current exhibition is BIG MOOD at Night Gallery, on view at the gallery through September 26 by appointment, and as an online viewing room until October 24. The next is looking to be outside of the country or New York, top secret for now but more info soon.

What artist living are dead would you most like to do a show with?

I can’t name just one since there are countless, however, to name a few: Stanley Whitney, Sam Gilliam, David Hammons, and that doesn’t even extend into my obsession with Light and Space artists.

Do you listen to music when you work? If so, what?

I tend to listen to almost everything, but I find myself listening to electronica a lot. I found myself recently enjoying Yaeji’s new insanely good album “What We Drew,” a new 2020 album released during covid. But, more surprisingly I found myself for the first time listening to piano music, Italian pianist Ludovico Einaudi, which has been wild and a very spiritual awakening on many levels.

Website, please!

Instagram: @andrea_marie_breiling

Andrea Marie Breiling, “Give Me All Your Drugs,” 2020, installation view in Big Mood, 2020 (Photograph by Marten Elder, courtesy of the artist and Night Gallery)

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