4 Creatives from Brunswick You Should Know
Brunswick, Georgia, has a vibrant creative scene. Across the Golden Isles, art shows, galleries, and community exhibitions reflect a wide range of talent.
There are so many artists creating and sharing their work across this region. This list is not exhaustive. It is simply a glimpse into that larger community. These are four creatives who have been on our radar for some time. Each has roots in Brunswick, and their work reflects the experiences that shaped them here while continuing to reach audiences beyond this area. We reached out to learn more about their journeys, their influences, and the impact of their work.
Alongside this story, we are also introducing @blackcreativesbwk, a growing space created to connect Black creatives across the Golden Isles. This includes visual artists, musicians, performers, makers, writers, and more. The goal is to build community and create more opportunities to connect, collaborate, and share work.
Quality Lenz
Film and Digital Photographer | Instagram @qualitylenz
Tell me a little about yourself and your connection to Brunswick/the Golden Isles.
Hey! I am a film n digital photographer born n Brunswick, raised on St. Simons, but based in Atlanta. I’ve stayed n hung out in different parts of Brunswick n know how hard it is ta make it out w/o sports. Even getting folks ta see da vision. It wasn’t easy, but it was possible!
What kind of photography do you specialize in, and what inspires your work?
I do all photography from portraits ta landscapes, but I specialize in portraits I’d say. Also, when it comes ta inspiration, I’d say my culture, family, n past experiences.
Where can people book you or see more of your work?
Instagram honestly aha lol. At qualitylenz everywhere.
marsalis eason
Photojournalist | Instagram @delaselis
Tell me a little about yourself and your connection to Brunswick/the Golden Isles.
My name is Marsalis Eason and I specialize in photojournalism and documenting the Black experience from a historical perspective. I’m drawn to capturing fleeting moments and tend to keep a camera on me at all times. I believe photography revolves around consistently searching for opportunities that may present themselves — there’s something exciting about being in the right place at the right time that I will never grow tired of. At its core, photography is about more than just images; photographers serve as keepers of time, and that role is critical in preserving the story of our society.
I was born and raised in Brunswick, GA. Growing up, my summers were filled with swimming at Howard Coffin Park, Saturday nights at the skating rink, basketball games in College Park, and 25-cent freeze cups in Perry Park. Brunswick always felt safe and familiar, and that feeling never goes away — coming home still means something. There’s a deep sense of community pride that this city instills in its natives, and that pride has had a lasting impact on how I engage with the world and approach my work as a photojournalist.
What kind of photography do you specialize in, and what inspires your work?
My foundation as a photographer started in Brunswick, first as a personal hobby that organically evolved into a career. Early on, I focused on project-based work and published my own books. I eventually landed four summer internships at Harvard and Yale University for commercial photography, which helped develop my skillset on a professional level. Over time, I was drawn to street photography, which played a major role in transforming how I see the world. This eventually led to me obtaining a role as a photojournalist for The Savannahian News. Following in the footsteps of Gordon Parks, I fell in love with the challenge and importance of covering current events in my community and became compelled to focus on documenting and preserving Black history. In recent years, I’ve shifted my effort to dive deeper into project based assignments and showcasing my work through art galleries and museums.
Where can people book you or see more of your work?
I’m open to commissioned shoots and I can be contacted primarily email (delaselis@gmail.com) or social media.
Peter Smiley
Painter and Fiber Artist | Instagram @petersmiless
Tell me a little about yourself and your connection to Brunswick/the Golden Isles.
Absolutely, I was born and raised in Brunswick and lived here all my life specifically south side.
What kind of art do you specialize in, and what inspires your work?
I specialize in both physical large scale painting and fiber art (specifically crochet).
Initially i called myself a painter that was where I started as an artist. I am inspired by my interests that being the fashion of 90s video vixens, current media, hiphop music, really just anything that speaks to me presently really all of it goes in to my work.
Also! My fiber art is highly influenced by my elders they use to always knit things and hand make clothes for all the children and everyone in my family and I later in life picked up that ability almost innately.
Where can people book you or see more of your work?
You can find me on, Instagram petersmiless, TikTok petersmiless, Twitter petersmiles
BreezyxArt
Graphic Designer and Mashup Artist/DJ | Instagram @breezyxart
Tell me a little about yourself and your connection to Brunswick/the Golden Isles.
My name is Devin Beasley. I’m a self-taught Graphic Designer, known by as “Breezy” (BreezyxArt) , and a Mashup Artist / DJ known by as Lean Picasso on YouTube, SoundCloud, & TikTok. Born & raised in Brunswick, spent majority of my upbringing growing up in Altama & the Reynolds Street area. I’m a Glynn Academy alumni of the 2018 class. Raised by my late mother Monica, locally known for being a hairstylist / cosmetologist, & working for the Brunswick News right before she passed in 2010. My father Jermaine, being known locally in the restaurant business such as past successes like the origins of Wrap Happy. Brunswick shaped my craft just coming from a talented family all together in the area, and relationships I made with friends I grew up with during my school years.
What kind of art do you specialize in, and what inspires your work?
On the graphic side of things, I’m well known for cover artwork, but I also design other avenues such as flyers, logos, movie posters, and edits. On the music side, I’m known for mashups creations & slowdowns / chops.
The inspiration behind my talents just comes from me being raised around music. My parents even documented me as music baby in their baby boy notebook when I was little. I grew up in the CD era so when my parents played their personal music in the car, I always favored the cover arts when they were in my reach to look at. It was like a book cover, but in a painting portrait form in my eyes. Hip-Hop, R&B, and Gospel was in heavy rotation to the point I wanted to be a rapper first but as I got older, related talents took my interest. My origins of Lean Picasso came from me falling in love with chopped and screwed music as a pre-teen becoming a real teenager at the time. Just me being from the south and loving rap music, It was bound for my ears to enjoy it just like the upbringing of DJ Screw. So after seeing & listening to other DJs do it on YouTube, I wanted to do it for my self but with my favorite songs, and the rest was history.
Mashups on my channel catalog came around years after when my favorite songs just kept blending in my brain when I didn’t have music in ear. Literally just me being creative and having an ear for music but wasn’t sure how to put it out to the public until I got inspiration from creators like Amorphous & Blaccmass on YouTube around 2016-2017. Past inspirations also came from radio stations like 94.1 & 93.3 The Beat playing their late night mixes on Saturday nights. I wanted my YouTube subscribers to enter my brain of music from another view and I just started post them. Around late 2021 a subscriber told me to post my mashes on TikTok and everything took off from that moment.
Where can people book you or see more of your work?
People can see or get in contact with me through my socials like Facebook, Instagram (@breezyxart), or email on the graphic side of things. To listen or discover my music catalog I’m Lean Picasso on YouTube, SoundCloud, and for TikTok (@leanpicassooo). Website for my graphics services are coming very soon for smoother processing.
Reporting and story compilation by Courtney K. McGill, founder of Black-Owned Brunswick.
