Bre Andy and Gwyneth Giller on what it means to be women who wander for Girl Talk.
Bre Andy and I might’ve been accused of witchcraft in another century. She’s always preferred the woods, disappearing on a whim, with a shadowy way about her. Her paintings offer delicate vignettes of women that do the same. They’re just like us—earthly and enchanted. Bre’s the kind of person who can stay up until 3 AM braiding her hair, spend the afternoon reading poetry, or watch Love Island all day. Somehow, each modality feels equally important to her practice.
Our conversation drifts wayward: from Lena Dunham to Greek mythology. We relish the famous paparazzi photo of Nicole Kidman stepping onto the sidewalk after her divorce (a contemporary relic Bre is convinced art historians will still be unpacking in 200 years). Somewhere along the way, we arrive at the realization that the biggest lives are built around the smallest decisions. Women, after all, are capable of contemplating mortality, artistic purpose, and what color to paint their nails in the very same breath. Bre’s paintings seem to understand this perfectly.
Gwyneth Giller: Were you in “New York…NOW!” the show that Gabby and Saam curated?
Bre Andy: Yes!
GG: I think we met there. Jordan Coley was interviewing you for Elephant Magazine TV and he called you a witch.
BA: That was so funny.
GG: Do you think that if you were a 17th-century girl, you would have been accused of being a witch?
BA: I definitely would have been very shadowy. I feel like I’m always off in nature, out in the woods. When I was younger, I was sneaking out and coming home late.
GG: Up to no good. I would probably be accused of being hysterical.
BA: [Laughs] There’s this girl I follow who does this bit, luring people in by saying something like, “We’re talking about our bikinis…” as a way to throw off and lose the interest of guys watching, and then in this old accent she’ll suddenly go, “Ladies, are they gone? Are you listening? I feel like men need to think we’re just a little bit off.” Not just men—everyone needs to think women are just a little bit off.
GG: No, exactly. And we are.
BA: We’re weird and running society. It’s none of your business.
GG: Have you ever painted something and thought to yourself, “Oh, this is none of my business?”
BA: I feel like my paintings are so much of my business. I feel like I should get more into other people’s business.
GG: Do you paint from real life or a photo?
BA: From the photo. But I really respect people who paint from life within the studio.
GG: True. What does your camera role look like?
BA: My camera role right now…is insane.
GG: What is the last thing you screenshotted?
BA: The last thing I screenshotted was my run from yesterday. I ran six miles, and then someone texted me, “How are you?” As soon as I finished, I then screenshotted it cuz it was hard and I just did that.
GG: A boy?
BA: Yeah…
GG: Ooo! [Laughs] What was the last photo that you took?
BA: I took a picture of a book at McNally Jackson. It’s called, The Dry Season: A Memoir of Pleasure and a Year Without Sex.
GG: Born again virgin vibes.
BA: And I was like, “This sounds enlightening.” But it’s not really what I’m on right now, but maybe…
GG: You can read about it, you don’t have to do it.
BA: It’s about how she’s single and discovering herself. So maybe this is some adult shit that I should read.
GG: Do you like the show HBO Girls?
BA: Yeah, I actually just rewatched Tiny Furniture recently.
GG: I was going to watch that yesterday and then it was like 9 PM and I was like, “Okay, I can’t start this.”
BA: That’s funny cuz I watched it at 3 AM while I was braiding my hair.
GG: The reason why I brought up Girls was because I think you should read Famesick, Lena Dunham’s memoir. That’s a juicy read.
BA: Lena Dunham is such a character. Do we like her? Do we not like her? But you can’t ignore what she gave to us.
GG: Exactly.
BA: I love to hear about people’s lives and how they got where they are.
GG: What is the most Girls episode that’s happened to you in the past month?
BA: I can relate to that feeling of wandering around and being like, “What the fuck is going on?” I don’t really identify with any one character in Girls, and I’m not really into dating right now. I do relate to the way Lena Dunham writes about that feeling of just trying to figure yourself out. I connect with that more than any specific character.
GG: So you said you’re not dating right now, why’s that?
BA: I mean it’s not even a choice of dating or not dating. I just feel like the pool here is full right now. I’d check out a new pool.
GG: My best friend is single right now, and she’s always like, “I don’t trust any man who’s single. Like, why are you 30 and not in a relationship? What’s the catch?”
BA: I don’t really attach any connotations to either being single or being in a relationship. But the times I’ve been single as an adult, I’ve just been chilling.
GG: You get to do whatever the fuck you want, whenever the fuck you want.
BA: I mean, I would anyway.
GG: True. I stalked your Instagram before our call…doing research. You have the best outfits.
BA: Oh my gosh, thank you.
GG: What was your last closet purchase?
BA: I’m so glad you asked cuz I just tried it on. I’m shopping for a trip and I got a swimsuit from Paloma Wool.
GG: Um. So cute.
BA: I’m going to decide if I’ll wear it as a swimsuit or a top.
GG: So it’s like a tankini?
BA: Yeah, it’s a full body situation and has interesting cut outs. But it’s funny because I’ve been shopping all day. I’m getting Instagram ads from every single store I’ve ever looked at. I feel like the internet knows what I’m looking for more than I do. Online shopping makes me feel crazy.
GG: It’s literally a late-capitalist nightmare vibe.
BA: True.
GG: Don’t you feel like lately you’ve just been thinking of something and it’s popping up on your screen? I’m not even verbalizing it and I’m seeing it on my phone.
BA: Absolutely. I was just with my friend and we were looking for something but couldn’t find it and I was like don’t worry because we just said it out loud, so we’ll see it in a few hours.
GG: At this rate an AI stork robot is going to drop it off at your doorstep and just charge it to your bank account because it has your info anyways.
BA: Yeah, that’s fucked up.
GG: If you had to be sponsored by one brand for the rest of your life, who would it be?
BA: This is hard. I feel like I’m a mix of three brands. Ann Demeulemeester, Margiela and Prada. I’m always wearing black. I need to be able to wear something really classic or really sexy or something with interesting cuts and textures.
GG: What’s your sign?
BA: I’m a Cancer.
GG: What’s the most Cancer quality that you think you exhibit?
BA: The fact that I just love being at home. I can stay very in my shell, but it’s just cuz I have fun here doing nothing or everything.
I can be moody but I don’t think anyone else knows my moodiness because I’m a Capricorn rising. So I think that when I’m out, there’s a stoicism about me, depending where I am and who’s around me. I can read everyone’s energy. I always like looking from within my little corner.
GG: I’m also Capricorn rising. What’s your moon?
BA: Pisces.
GG: [laughter] Okay.
BA: I don’t think people really know what goes on in my head, but things are swirling around for sure.
GG: That’s where the artistry comes in.
BA: I’m definitely a dreamer, but I’m not a storyteller. My work looks quite grounded in reality, but my head is in the clouds at all times.
GG: I think that’s a really interesting way to categorize your work. Because it feels so tied to an earthy moment but you show it to us through this dreamy lens. Who is your biggest muse right now?
BA: I don’t really think I have a muse at the moment. I’ve always been drawn to very traditional art because I love portraiture in all of its forms. People have been telling me to look into Greek mythology. But there’s no single source or idea that I’m pulling from right now. I’m kind of letting it all exist and seeing where it leads.
GG: How do you come up with a title for a work?
BA: A lot of the time it’s rooted in music. I’ll look through lyrics or pay attention to what I’m listening to while I’m working. Or I’ll go through my journal and my Notes app. Sometimes I can’t name a piece until after it’s done, and other times I’ll know what it’s called while I’m still working on it. I’ll just have a phrase in my head.
If I have to name multiple pieces at once but I haven’t really connected with them yet, I’ll look through song lyrics that I really like and twist them around or rephrase them because I like the mood they create. I don’t want to steal a whole bar or lyric, you know?
GG: What’s the last song that you listened to?
BA: I’ve been at home in silence today. Then I was watching Love Island. So there hasn’t been any music playing.
GG: I need to watch Love Island.
BA: I have a group chat and everyone was watching last night, so that inspired me to watch it today.
GG: What’s a niche internet rabbit hole that you’ve been stuck in lately?
BA: I’ve actually been trying to stay off the internet unless, unfortunately, I’ve been shopping [laughter]. I’ve been looking up things I need to travel or looking up things to wear on my trip. And then if I’m not doing that, I’m doing a crossword puzzle.
GG: Do you have a New York Times app or are you a physical crossword kind of girl?
BA: I have the NYT app but I use a website called Puzzmo. They reference niche topics.
GG: Obsessed.
BA: That’s so old lady of me.
GG: Not at all. It’s the best way to be on your phone.
BA: What is your recent internet niche?
GG: Oh my god. Well, like I said, I’m a hypochondriac, so lately it’s been that stuff. But I’m not on the internet too much unless it’s for work. I’m in my inbox 8 hours a day.
BA: I was going to say this makes me seem so boring but, we all need to get the fuck off the internet.
GG: We do! I deleted my Instagram for three months, and I’d never been happier. Then I got back on it and now I’m like something’s wrong with me. I’m dying.
BA: [laughs] Exactly.
GG: What’s your New York hot take?
BA: My New York hot take is that we should not touch any of the poles. Or anything.
GG: Yeah, there’s no fucking way. What object in your studio has the strongest aura?
BA: There’s this big red dresser that we’ve kind of adopted. My studio used to be my best friend’s room when she lived here. There were three of us, and when she moved out, she left this dresser behind. Anytime anyone takes pictures in the studio, they’re always like, “This dresser!” It’s just big, red, and antique. I like to put my stuff on it when I’m painting, but it definitely has the biggest energy in the room.
GG: What was the last thing that influenced your work that wasn’t art?
BA: I would say it was this poem—which was also a song—and I used it to title a painting. The song was called Lift You, by Moin, and I just thought it was really beautiful. The poet is credited in the song, but I couldn’t find her online.
I’m also reading a book of short stories, and both that and the song are, in different ways, about relationships. I’ve realized I’m just really into poetry right now. I like how metaphorical it is—it’s not so on the nose. It’s such a good way of titling something because it leaves room for interpretation instead of explaining everything. I like the idea of leaving something for other people to discover on their own.
GG: I feel like poems are just windows—obscure windows.
Speaking of relationships, you mentioned that some of the poems are about relationships and some aren’t. Have you ever had a crush that either improved or completely ruined your workflow?
BA: I’m so careful about my relationships now. I’m the most single I’ve ever been. Part of it is because the work is really picking up, and I’m really cautious about how I spend my time.
It’s funny—when I’m by myself and I’m just fucking around wasting time, it’s whatever. But if I involve someone else and start thinking about them too much, I’m suddenly like, I’m ruining my path. I need to focus. I need to relax. They’re not worth it.
GG: What is one piece of advice you wish you could give your teenage self?
BA: I think I would just tell myself to relax a little, maybe get more obsessed with my hobbies. I was pretty rebellious as a teenager, but I never really felt like I was in a rush to do anything. Honestly, I think the way I’ve lived my life has been really cool. I just got so emotional about everything. I remember having a breakdown in high school because I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life.
GG: Yeah, I can relate. It felt so serious.
BA: I was a teenager, why was I freaking out about my path? I have school tomorrow. You know what I mean?
GG: [laughs] Yeah, I wish someone told me I just had to pass Math and for the rest of my life I could use a calculator.
BA: But I do think that there were things that I didn’t need to be doing, you know? I wouldn’t say that I was the worst kid ever, but I could’ve chilled a bit.
GG: Real. If you weren’t a painter, what would your alternative career be?
BA: I think about this often. I think that I could be a therapist. Unfortunately, I do feel like I have a capacity to take on people’s emotions when they’re talking to me about them. Also very Cancer of me: I’d have a really chic office.
GG: Mhm.
BA: I also wish that I could be a skater and a drummer combined. Those are two things that I wish that I could do, but probably won’t take them up for myself. My homegirl once told me I wanted to be a fuckboy in my alternative life [laughter].
GG: You should. I just learned how to skate, and it’s been pretty fun.
BA: I feel like that’s as far as I’d take it at this point. I’ll get on the board, you know? I don’t think I’d start teaching myself tricks.
GG: What was the most beautiful thing that you’ve seen this week?
BA: Oh, I love that question. I haven’t been out much this week, but I live by Prospect Park and I’m always just enamored by nature. I always see the swans in the lake.
GG: I love swans. What is a contemporary image you think art historians will spend the next 200 years analyzing?
BA: Honestly, the first thing that popped in my head was the meme photo of Nicole Kidman on the sidewalk, after her divorce.
GG: Do you feel like the figures in your work are in dialogue with each other or keeping secrets?
BA: I think it’d probably be the same kind of conversations we’re having right now. Or just some average girly stuff, like, God, I don’t know what color to paint my nails.
Maybe it should be deeper than that, but I also think so much of life is both. I’m just here in my room contemplating things in really minuscule ways and really major ways. So maybe they’re doing the same thing. Maybe they’re carrying around big thoughts, quietly manifesting them, too.
Written by Gwyneth Giller.
