Brittany Trambitas was born and raised in Hillyard. As a salon owner, creating beauty and elevating the aesthetic of women is one of her main inspirations. Four years ago, she contributed to the Black Lives Matter mural in downtown Spokane (she designed the “A” in “MATTER”). Trambitas was approached to submit a bid and samples for one of Spokane’s latest art projects. You can see her latest creation in the Saranac Commons alleyway downtown; it will be there for the next two years.
In partnership with five local artists, an idea was initiated this summer to create a “living art alley” to stimulate curiosity while increasing foot traffic. This manifested into something that passers-by can stop to admire as they frequent the Saranac and Community Buildings. In her art, Trambitas uses Black culture as her muse: music, hair, women – these things are all interwoven into her blueprints. The Black aesthetic, she shares, is examined, celebrated and uplifted.
“When I submitted my design, the point was to appreciate Black American culture and the ways that Black Americans have contributed to American culture,” she said.
On her gallery wall, Trambitas says that there is a portion that will focus on Black hair. She says she wanted to not only emphasize the attraction of Black hairstyles, but she wanted to capture the freedom to express these bold styles.
“So you’ll see one of my pieces will have a very large afro in it because, you know, our hair is important,” she said.
Her mural is a space that caters to Black identity and she encourages people to come down, stand in front, and take a selfie.
When considering the significance of art and culture to Black people, Trambitas shares while there are artists who paint for people to have something to look at, she sees art as a refusal to be silenced.
“I think sometimes not having the words or not being able to express ourselves with words in certain spaces, that’s where art has been monumental for us, and historically, since we know that our history is usually blotted out, whether that be by not telling accurate history or trying to erase history, I think that artwork has shown up as a way to tell our story,” she said. “Through accurate historical depictions even. You know, through illustration, when we weren’t really able to use words or literature to do that.”
When asked about her personal art journey, Trambitas remembers the Barbie coloring books of her youth.
“Even when I was super young, I always wanted to draw, and I always wanted to color,” she said. “I would be coloring all of the white Barbies brown, you know, because I didn’t have these art mediums; I was not represented, I didn’t see myself in it, so I had to make myself within these mediums. That’s where it clicked; find a way to see myself in even the most basic of artwork where I couldn’t find myself.”
Trambitas said she thinks this memory influences her penchant for painting Black women.
“I am very, very fond of not just the female form, but the capabilities of us as women,” she said.
For up-and-coming artists, she says that it is OK to create art that allows you to see yourself.
“I think a lot of the time we can get caught up in trying to draw and paint for the gaze of other people,” she said. “Be selfish about your artistry.”