Carl Brunson: Art in Full Circle

Each form of expression feeds the other.

Words & Photos by Eric Morales

Carl Brunson is the rare breed of artist whose sheer willpower and discipline continues to propel him further along his journey of self-discovery.

He has a proclivity for creating order which is evident by all appearances from the minimalist interior design of his home to the way he structures his daily life. It all moves him toward a singular purpose: to make space for creativity in visual art, graphic design, and music.

Structure is necessary when one is fully committed to being a multi-disciplinary artist. “Exercise, what I eat, how I sleep; it’s a priority thing. Creating art is more important to me than staying up late, or whatever it is that would mess me up tomorrow,” Carl explains.
He purposefully keeps a rhythm between his work as a professional graphic designer, visual artist, and music producer. Every minute in the day counts, and the structure keeps him moving between expressions with ease. Each form of expression feeds the other.

“I’ve accepted that I’m going to make music for the rest of my life.” Carl continues. “For a while, that was my path. I lived in Miami and worked at a studio. I was writing songs and recording artists and learning about mixing. It’s just another form of expression, and it’s necessary. I’ve accepted this holistic thing. I can’t do [visual art] without making music. I have to do it all. It’s kind of like cross training.”

Though multi-talented, Carl prefers to work in one medium at a time. Once a visual project is in full motion, he’ll start getting ideas for music. He exercises discipline, however, and finishes the visual work before skipping back to music. While he’s making music, he will often find inspiration for painting, thus coming full circle.

For someone who already excels in doing so many things, Carl is humble enough to know that however far he’s come in his journey, there is still an infinite road ahead. “Finding who you are as an artist takes work. I’m not there yet,” he acknowledges. When someone looks at his work, they might imagine he’s been “there” for quite some time. However, he only made the decision to transition from commercial art to fine art in 2019.

Carl’s visual art is abstract. The meaning or feeling derived from any particular piece belongs to the viewer alone. “It’s their connection,” he explains. A recent series of work, “Heritage,” was inspired by a trip to Saint Ann Parish, Jamaica, where Carl’s mother was born. He and other family members took the trip only to find that she was not exaggerating when she mentioned having to walk four hours from their home to the market each day.

Overall, the experience of his family history is where the emotion and intention behind these works were born. The takeaway from his visit to Jamaica was relishing in the experience of the overall simplicity of life and the connection to people. “The sense of community there… You could just walk over to someone’s home.” He contrasts it to Austin where “we don’t necessarily know our neighbors. We [instead] build fences.”

While structure is important, Carl now dreams of a community of neighbors in the truest sense, where people take care of each other. “That would be a really healthy way to live.”

Are you a visual artist?
Carl Brunson likes to incorporate rules into his visual art. In some cases, he’ll restrict himself to only using certain colors or certain shapes. If you’re a painter, or visual artist, try this as an exercise!