Meet Riley Bratzler: Printmaker

We had the good fortune of connecting with Riley Bratzler and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Riley, how has your work-life balance changed over time?
Work life balance: Fact or fable? For me, it is definitely a practice or a skill that I have to constantly work on, and I by no means have mastered it yet. I’ve gone through periods in my life where creating has been a form of expressing my emotions, so it was easy to surrender to it and be in the studio until 2AM. Recently, I have had to navigate keeping that creative energy going without the emotional fuel behind it, and that all comes down to self-discipline. My work life balance is definitely blurred, with the pandemic my husband and I both work from home for our day jobs, and have our studios in our home, (Brett is a painter and I a printmaker). Self-discipline to hold yourself accountable in getting in the studio, to practice, to take breaks, to do the hard work, to prioritize your day, to say NO, to learn something new is so important in achieving a semblance of work life balance. 

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Being an artist is not my day job. This allows me to make the art I want, and my day job is able to fund it. It has given me space to take risks and learn new things along the way. My work has been heavily focused on printmaking the last 5 years. I enjoy the process because one might think it is outdated, but I enjoy that is analog and there is room for mistakes-it feels more human. Printmaking is SO accessible for the artist as well as the buyers. My work primarily is focused on folklore, animals, and death. Death you say? That sounds super morbid. After experiencing death at an early age, my body of work focuses on the narrative power of life and mortality utilizing printmaking to convey strong lines and impactful contrast. The simple act of carving linoleum is similar to the process of death, carving away the important pieces that finally create the inevitable final image. I believe there is empowerment embracing death as a part of life, and I hope to engage my audience in having this hard conversation that may seem taboo in our society. Death can be beautiful.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Man, I feel like folks are so hard on Colorado Springs, but we have so many amazing destinations right in our backyard! I’d recommend a quick hike in Red Rocks Canyon, followed by coffee at one of our many great shops. My favorite is Loyal Coffee. Then I’d hit up some of our local shops downtown- Novis Mortem Collective is my go-to, along with Ladyfingers Letterpress, just to name a few. By day, I am the Community Outreach Manager for PikeRide, our local nonprofit e-bike share program. I’d most definitely check out a bike to easily get around our downtown. Next up, Shuga’s for lunch- it’s the cutest restaurant with great food and cocktails. Some other great spots I’d recommend – Shame & Regret for drinks, it’s right across the alley from our studio, so we’ve spent a lot of time there waiting for paint to dry. If you are looking for fine dining, Four by Brother Luck has got you covered.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My husband Brett Andrus deserves one of the biggest shoutouts for being the most supportive partner in life and in art. As a successful artist himself, he provides meaningful feedback and problem solving for my art while creating space for both of us to take risks within our work. Here in Colorado Springs, I am so lucky to be surrounded by such talented artists and friends. Our good friend Aja Black is a prolific musician and writer, and overall amazing human. We have spent countless hours on our porch talking about life, love, art and theory and how it is all connected. Building our little community of makers and creatives has been so instrumental in my work.

Website: rileybratzler.com
Instagram: @riley_coyote

Image Credits
Aaron Anderson Visuals and REN CREATIV PHOTO