Known for her distinct style and her innate ability to mix colors, Bri Mei is a self-taught abstract artist and long-time San Diego resident.

As an artist, she likes to go by her last name only.

Though born in Inglewood, Mei spent most of her childhood in Lynwood and her adolescence in Point Loma.

From an early age, Mei wasn’t one to follow the mainstream. She liked to do things her way – the hard way.

Her exposure to these different intersects of American society has shaped her artwork, and these light and dark worlds are exhibited in her paintings.

Inspired simply by the urge to create, Mei started her artistic career in 2001 on the painting aisle of Michaels, where she bought a can of spray paint and acrylics.

Initially, she wanted to paint a table. Before she could even use the spray paint, however, the can broke. So she started with acrylics.

Her art has been shown in the Gaslamp district of downtown San Diego and she paints commissioned pieces for private buyers.

Interested in her creative process and the professional and personal influences upon her work, I sat down with Mei for coffee and conversation.

VN: Describe your art to me.

BM: It’s got a retro feel to it – an early 40s and 50s style. I’ve been told it’s very distinct.

VN: What did you do before becoming a painter?

BM: Are you kidding? Everything...Sorry I’m a little bit out of it today, I’m on drugs: allergy medicine. Sales, personal training, I also worked in a couple of galleries selling artwork.

VN: Are there any artists in particular that have influenced your work?

BM: I wouldn’t say "influenced" because it came to me innately. But I admire many different artists. I really love Basquiat and Mondrian, but my art is definitely my own. After I started painting, I learned I was doing things some other artists were doing in the 30s, 40s and 50s, which really surprised me. That’s why I said I have a retro feel in my art. I was completely unaware.

VN: What important life events shaped your work?

BM: I’ve been through a lot. I’m not going to tell you.

VN: Has painting also been a therapeutic process for you?

BM: I found it was very healing emotionally, but that wasn’t why I started.

VN: What types of images and materials have you incorporated into your artwork?

BM: Glass, metals, sand, newspaper…It starts with color and if an image comes out of it, I go with it. But I don’t start with an image. I tried that and it doesn’t work for me. My art directs me. In painting a piece for one of my clients, his portrait turned into an image of the famous "Monkey Man." And, he loved it.

VN: How long does it usually take for you to complete a piece?

BM: Months and months to years. I discovered in a previous move many unfinished oil paintings. Now I’m reworking them and painting over them.

VN: Which of your paintings do you like most? Why?

BM: Right now I really like Our Worlds Collided – the lights, the colors are absolutely Advertisement

[ Chatton and Associates ] stunning. Usually when I just finish a piece, though, I’m partial to it. Mr. No Name is my most recent piece.

VN: How long have you lived in Fallbrook?

BM: Less than a year.

VN: Where did you live before coming to Fallbrook?

BM: In San Elijo Hills for four years and French Valley for a year before that.

VN: Have you had much formal training?

BM: No, I’m completely self-taught, especially at mixing colors. I made a lot of mistakes at first, but I’m pretty good at that stuff. Color is huge to me – getting that right hue. I can pretty much match any color except eggshell.

VN: How long did this process of trial and error last until you perfected your art?

BM: Well, my art isn’t perfected. Every time I paint it’s a learning process; each painting is a learning process. In the beginning, I just didn’t know what I was doing. I was just trying to get what I wanted. And I didn’t really paint for a while after I painted for years, I took a little break and when I went back to it, it seemed that I knew what to do.

VN: Have you received any important advice from other artists that have helped you improve this process of trial and error?

BM: Years ago, I was talking to a successful painter in La Jolla, who looked like a construction worker – a foreman of a construction site; he told me that I can do anything I want with art. I can mix anything I want. I’ve gone with that credo. He was great. Once he made this huge abstract painting and something fell off of it, the woman who bought it called him frantically. He replied: "Just glue it back on."

I had guidance from another artist who I talked to down in San Diego. Years ago I was convinced I needed art classes to teach me how to paint, teach me something I didn’t know. He was a very mellow guy; he told me coolly: "You just paint. You just keep painting."

VN: What advice would you give to aspiring artists?

BM: Paint your ass off.

VN: Where do you see yourself in the next five years?

BM: One of my goals over the next five years is to see my work shown in some of the New York galleries – specifically Manhattan and Soho areas. Recently, I’ve made some headway in that direction. I look forward to the future. Last October, I was invited to show my work in a beautiful gallery in New York that showcased a handful of talented artists online as well, however, I had so much going on in my life at the time I didn’t feel like I could commit to a long-term contract. It just wasn’t the right time. I’d also love to visit Europe someday and hope to take my art to the international level as well.

For more information on Mei and her artwork, visit www.meisretroabstractart.com. She will also be painting onsite and selling her artwork at Rusty Creek Boutique Friday at 3137 S. Mission Road in Fallbrook.