Studio Visit & Interview with Britt Henze
By John Vochatzer
If there’s any heartwarming tale of success and overcoming adversity in the Bay Area art scene that I know of, it’s without a doubt my friend Britt. In the short 2-3 years that I’ve known her, I’ve not only watched her become one of the hardest working artists I know, but also a top contender for #1 woman-about-town—seeing her at nearly every art show or event I’ve been to over the past year, she is constantly working on building and engaging with the community on all fronts. But things weren’t always so bright for Britt; having just celebrated her 8th year of sobriety, at one point in her life any thought of a career as a successful and admired artist would have seemed nothing more than a silly and impossible dream.
Also known as Lady Henze (pronounced Hen-zee—and I bring this up because it seems to be a point of constant debate), Britt moved to San Francisco from Colorado in the Spring of 2013 in an attempt to start over and change some of her self-destructive behavior. Far from succeeding, the following year she saw some of the lowest lows of her life which culminated in near-death liver failure and her family checking her into rehab; a move that unquestionably saved her life. Amongst the myriad of positive and necessary changes along the road of recovery, in 2016 Britt began making art again after nearly a 12 year hiatus. Like a polychromatic, 90s-nostalgia-infused phoenix, her ascent as an artist ever since has been powerful, radiant, and above all else brightly colorful.
Britt, to this day, doesn’t paint about the “bad shit” as she says. Her work is unapologetically positive and celebratory and it can be—because it foremost acknowledges the gratitude she has just to still be alive on this earth and for the opportunities she’s been given to create. It doesn’t forget that this wasn’t always the reality, and it could very well not be, as addiction strips these things from so many. Britt gets high on color now. And the ecstatic nature of her work is testament that starting over is possible, and a better life can always be found.
Interview
Hey Britt! Thanks again for letting me come hang out & catch up with you at your studio the other day. It’s a super cool place you got there. Can you tell us a little bit about the space you work in? And what’s an average day at the studio like for you?
It's a warehouse located in the Mission with about 15-ish other visual artists and a smattering of other creatives. I occupy Erik Otto's old studio, he now lives and works in NYC. It's perfectly suited to my needs and I lucked out so hard (thank you DYOUNGV for that connect). Average day: get my dog Hank settled, make a second coffee, re-arrange everything at least once, and get to work in the first two hours. Usually I don't walk straight in and start unless I'm in the middle of something and it's already laid out and ready. If it's work that I'm just noodling on or exploring, I'm lucky to paint a couple hours out of 7. I clean when I don't know what to do, and also arrange things by color:)
Let’s talk about that building a little bit. “The haunted baby factory.” What’s the story behind this place? And what’s the deal with the old carriages? There’s also a lot of other heavy hitter artists working out of studios there, what’s it like being surrounded by so much talent?
One of the carriages from the haunted baby factory.
Hah it is actually a warehouse that used to sell/store baby furniture. "Haunted baby factory" is hilarious but not entirely accurate. There's a lot of stories about the place and I wish I could share them here but they're not mine to tell, and it also just lends to the aura of intrigue around the space. The gentleman who owns it- we owe him a debt of gratitude. It's not many who will rent an entire space devoted to studios. Not when he could have sold it for a bajillion bucks. The carriages—dare I say “prams”—are haunted af and the stuff of nightmares. As is the whole warehouse at night, quite frankly. It's perfection. And to be surrounded by so much talent—it's totally badass. Every single artist there is someone whose work I admired before I arrived. It's highly motivating to be around legends.
You do a lot of mural work as well, both indoor and outdoor; how would you compare your fine-art practice with your mural gigs? Do you have a preference for one or the other? And do the two play or work off of each other in any way?
They absolutely inform one another as everything I do in my studio is in 'tryouts' to be large. So I work out ideas, and hone skills, and arrange color combos in my studio. I love being there, even when I'm just dicking around. There's also more freedom there. Murals are often mocked up or at the very least planned in some way. In the studio I can do whatever I please, and often that leads to trust with walls too. But my favorite activity is to paint large and outdoors and interacting with humans. Even when they jack my paint and my hoodie and whatever else I took my eye off of for a second;)
What’s your favorite mural you’ve done so far? And you mentioned that one of your biggest goals as an artist is to get an enormous city wall somewhere in SF. What would your vision be like for such a wall?
What a tough question. I'm going to say the geometric pattern I did for Obispo on 24th (now closed.) Simply because it was all hand painted with no tape and it was technically difficult and precise and I love that shit. Recently I've dipped my toe in realism and it's the same way—you have to really pay attention to values and shadows and they're not the colors your mind tells you they are. I love a challenge. I have my eye on a wall, and I want to do a variation of a painting I made for the Svane Family Foundation called “Lose Yourself to Dance.” ALLLLL the colors, together, high frequency, fun art. A gift...a visual of how The City makes me feel.
You just celebrated 8 years of sobriety, and it’s been quite the success story that has corresponded with your breaking into the art scene here in the Bay Area. Can you tell us a little bit about this journey? And what does sobriety mean to you and your art practice?
I moved to SF in 2013 after (one) of the worst years of my life living in Denver. I was driven out by a then boyfriend, all my things loaded into a suitcase and a couple garbage bags, and detoxing on the way out. It's pretty typical of addicts to move somewhere to try and change their behavior (i.e. “it's the people, it's the place, it's the job”) I landed and started working at the Alembic. I only made it a week not using. The subsequent year saw a lot of moving, a lot of lost jobs, and misery. The end result was a hospital stay with liver failure. I had been having seizures for weeks and couldn't walk on my own anymore. My parents put me in rehab, and when I got out I was homeless and had about five bucks. But I wanted to stay. I have a LOT of stories about being held by the people here, and one of the best is that Virginia Ramos, aka The Tamale Lady (RIP) let me stay with her while I got my feet on the ground. She didn't know me at all. Amazing, really.
Britt’s first mural, painted at the Fog Fair in 2018.
Four years after, another special woman, Amanda Michael, gave me my first wall. I hadn't made art in at least ten years prior, and I was afraid I couldn't anymore, quite frankly. And I was hooked. First time using spray paint, first time painting large. It's where my 'mountains/triangle' style was born and it will always have a special meaning for me. I only get to create because I am sober. When I'm not, there's no joy, no community, no love, only blackness. And I talk about my sobriety mainly because I genuinely didn't know that option existed. Which sounds insane, I know. But there's a lot of creatives who suffer from addiction and mental health issues—I feel like we make up a large portion of the people who become addicts. And so on the chance that I give someone some hope, or can lend a hand, I speak about it. And now my art is about those things I couldn't access while fucked up: joy, community, love, fun.
Music is also something that is very important to you and your art, and you title all of your pieces (murals included) after songs. How would you describe the relationship between the music you listen to and the visual art that you create?
I just looked at my Spotify and I have 70 playlists that I have made. No idea if that's a lot or a little for the average person. I know what kind of condition I'm in creatively if I haven't made at least one a month. I cannot function without music. The short answer is—music is a way to communicate with words my abstract work. So I'm not just naming things willy-nilly; I'm specific about what I am sharing about myself and the work via lyrics. And my musical tastes are vast, but often not super 'of-the-moment.' Nostalgia is something I explore in my work and I love re-living the feeling of first hearing a song/album or live music for the first time via color and lines and marks.
“Lose Yourself To Dance” from the Svane Family Foundation exhibit.
On top of making art, you’ve recently dipped your toes in the world of curation as well. Will you tell us about your show “Skittles” that you put together at Pretty Pretty Collective earlier this year. And do you have any ideas for future exhibits you’d like to curate?
My good friend Georgia Rew invited me to put together a show at her hair salon/gallery in the Mission. She has big vision and is always fantastic to work with. Honestly it took me five minutes to figure out who to ask to show with me, I am super lucky to be surrounded by so many artists I love. But this was a women's show, and it's a small space, so I was limited in how many artists I could ask. I didn't give them any parameters other than it had to be able to hang with velcro. And it was unbelievable—all our work was in conversation with one another's. Kismet. The artists were Margaret Wingard, Katie Gray, Rebecca Kauffman, and Amie Spitler. Played 90s hip hop. It was fantastic. I wanted to set a standard about what could be expected of me if you ask me to curate. Bold color, playfulness, good music...and hopefully a popcorn machine. I don't want to be too serious. I want places to be inviting. I want people to feel like they can ask questions and walk in even if they don't know what's going on. Unpretentious. But I would love to be given that opportunity again.
Collaborating with other artists is something you mentioned you really enjoy. What do you like about the collaborative process? What are some of your favorite collaborations you’ve done?
I love working with other artists and seeing how they do things. I've collaborated with Brandon Joseph Baker several times. Todd Kurnat, Nora Bruhn and I have projects coming up. Worked with Kelly Tunstall for A16 this past spring. Have a couple things on the back burner but it's just nice to not be alone in your head all the time, to work things out with others, watch things flow.
Let’s talk about color. You said it’s the most important part of your work, and it shows. What is it about color that makes it so central to your work? And how do you use colors to express yourself?
How to word this...I get high on color now :) I don't know how to speak about how excited I get picking out spray paint. Or watercolor. Or pastels. Or whatever. If it comes in a wide color selection I'm a kid in a candy store and I have no restraint...unsurprisingly. The patience the people at Blick and 14th Street have with me is unending. Because I often work in gradients I'll have all the cases open and I'm lining up the colors on the ground and just creating a ruckus (Blick). 14th Street Supply—I’m always "emergency" calling with my pants on fire about some color I can't find. You saw how big a smile I cracked when I showed you my new box of Edding spray paint. UGH the colors, the choices, the unending combinations!!!! Again, I'm trying to convey sights, smells, memories, vibes through non-representational art. So I'm specific about color choices. And so far, I don't paint about the bad shit. And as someone genuinely happy to be alive, my palettes reflect that.
What’s next on the agenda for Lady Henze? Any upcoming projects or exhibits or anything else you’d like folks to know about?
As for shows, I am in the group show 'Wonderland ' curated by Irene Feiks at Hellvella Art that opened June 11th. July 16, a group show curated by DYOUNGV at Luna Rienne to benefit Ukraine. I'll be painting in Bend in July, and have some other summer projects lined up. I suppose I'll be scouting for more public walls as well. At least 50% of my time is dedicated to Hank, mind you, he's a very needy dog who runs the show.
