BRIAN CHAFFIN, A NATIVE OF LONGVIEW, TEXAS, HAS HAD AN INTEREST IN ART AND DESIGN SINCE EARLY CHILDHOOD. HE WAS SKETCHING CARS AT THE AGE OF 3 UNTIL HIS EARLY TEEN YEARS, WHEN HE TURNED TO AN INTEREST IN FASHION DESIGN AND ILLUSTRATION. IN 1988, HIS LOVE FOR FASHION LED HIM TO ENTER GEOFFREY BEENE’S 25TH ANNIVERSARY FASHION DESIGN COMPETITION, WHERE HE WON THE TITLE OF ‘MOST PROMISING HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT’. AFTER GRADUATING WITH HONORS FROM LONGVIEW HIGH SCHOOL, HE WENT ON TO RECEIVE HIS BACHELOR OF SCIENCE DEGREE IN FASHION DESIGN FROM BAYLOR UNIVERSITY.

WHILE ATTENDING COLLEGE, BRIAN LANDED AN INTERNSHIP IN NEW YORK WITH WORLD-RENOWNED DESIGNER MARC JACOBS. HIS EXPERIENCE WITH JACOBS WOULD OPEN OTHER CAREER DOORS WITH AMERICAN FASHION DESIGNERS TODD OLDHAM AND BILLY REID AND FASHION WATCH + ACCESSORY BRAND, FOSSIL.

IN LATE 2016, A CASUAL CONVERSATION ON RECYCLING SHREDDED PAPER SET AN IDEA IN MOTION, ONE THAT WOULD INVOLVE USING THIS SUSTAINABLE MATERIAL AS THE MAIN MEDIUM FOR BEAUTIFUL WORKS ON CANVAS. FOR BRIAN, A RECYCLE ADVOCATE, THIS WAS THE START TO A NEW ARTISTIC PASSION IN ADDITION TO HIS LOVE FOR FASHION ILLUSTRATION AND SMARTPHONE PHOTOGRAPHY.

“I LOVE COMING ACROSS ANYTHING WITH A COOL PAPER ELEMENT AND AN INTERESTING STORY, ESPECIALLY FROM FLEA MARKETS OR ESTATE SALES. I WANT EACH WORK TO HAVE A CALMING EFFECT FROM FAR AWAY, YET BE MORE ENERGETIC, EVEN BORDERLINE CHAOTIC, WHEN SEEN UP CLOSE. ONCE THEY’RE ON CANVAS, THOSE THOUSANDS OF PAPER PIECES COME TOGETHER TO FORM A COLORFUL, TEXTURAL AND CONVERSATIONAL EXPERIENCE FOR THE VIEWER. THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT I’M LOOKING FOR.”

BRIAN CHAFFIN | artist + designer + illustrator + photographer + brianmchaffin.com

Brian Chaffin