The streets of Tallahassee are sprinkled with pockets of eclectic murals and artwork, largely done by local artists who want to contribute to the city’s beauty and uniqueness.
One such artist is Matthew Forrest, better known by his artist name Briteso. The Tallahassee native has painted some of the iconic murals in Railroad Square, southside and downtown.
Briteso used to be a graphic artist but says he transitioned to painting for more creative freedom.
“I really did not like that I had to prepare what other people wanted rather than what I wanted,” said Briteso. “I left a full time graphic design position to pursue a Bachelor of Fine Arts at FSU.”
Before getting his degree, Briteso had virtually no experience with painting. After taking classes with FSU art professors Mark Messersmith and Carrie Ann Baade, whom he had long admired, he was inspired and motivated to pursue painting more seriously.
Vibrant colors and intricate textures make Briteso’s murals stand out. While grounded in reality, his murals still manage to be bold and dynamic.
“Andy Warhol and Keith Haring are the two biggest inspirations I have,” said Briteso. “I want my artwork to be photorealistic, but also have a level of abstraction and detachment from how we normally view the world.”
Tallahassee is known for having a vibrant and unique creative arts scene, and the mural art around town speaks to the eccentric flare of local art. In big cities, murals are largely done by well established artists, but the intimate nature of the art scene in Tallahassee makes expression more accessible to smaller artists.
“There is an eclectic mix of folk art here that represents smaller artists that you don’t really see in big cities,” Briteso said. “Tallahassee stands out because you get a sense of the people behind the art — it’s more personal.”
Briteso credits the support from the city itself and the culture among local artists for this uncommon dynamic.
“The city of Tallahassee has a lot of initiatives to support local art,” he said. “There’s not a lot of competition between local artists — it’s a really open spirited community.”
Public artwork is inherently collaborative — it requires working with building owners, and at times, other artists. One of Briteso’s most significant collaborations was on the Euphoria Tattoos building with artist Michael Crowne, which honored the legacy of two key figures in the Tallahassee bus boycott: Wilhelmina Jakes and Carrie Patterson.
“Crowne brought his own style to the project that really complimented my work, he’s really talented,” Briteso said. “These ladies experienced a lot of harassment and that’s why I wanted to paint this mural, to shed light on their contribution to Tallahassee’s civil rights movement.”
Although murals often take weeks or even months of work, for Briteso, the time usually flies by.
“I usually design everything digitally and by the time that I start to paint on a wall or a canvas, there’s not a lot of thinking that has to happen,” Briteso said. “There’s a really meditative nature to painting, it’s almost like therapy.”
Briteso says the best part of creating murals is that they are accessible to everyone. He often gets messages on social media from people around the city who admire his work, and he appreciates the impact that it has on people.
“Everyone can experience my art and enjoy it, as opposed to gallery art that is only seen by people that pay for the gallery,” he said. “Leaving some kind of impact has always been important to me and I love that my impact is something expressive.”
