Meet Eternal Possessions — The Enigmatic Collage Artist Who Embellishes NYC's Walls
Estimated Time of Arrival — Issue #30 Leaning into who you are, the rise of extremes and the fear of quitting the dream.
Top of the morning!
Please take a deep breath with me…
…and welcome to Estimated Time of Arrival, your Wednesday newsletter where yours truly, Paula Romeu-Garcia, introduces the hottest artists from around the world and asks them uncomfortable questions…
Why Eternal Possessions? I ask her.
Her real name is Brittany DiMauro, and she sends me this link to her website.
She’s petite and can be squirrely but she’s undoubtedly strong like the oak that hosts the tail-y things.
If you’ve walked around New York, you’ve probably seen her work.
However, if you live elsewhere, her work may be a good reason to visit and get lost amid the grid.
Every artist strives to develop a unique style, something constant and recognisable that sets them apart.
She’s unquestionably mastering this.
After trial and error, years of encouraging and discouraging self-investigation, of music, and film and pushing through and giving in… she found her calling.
Her medium?
Collage.
Brittany brings to life the city's derelict walls with big, colourful pieces, employing clever composition to convey deeper philosophical, political, and feminist meanings.
Eternal Possessions, this enigmatic and powerful, purple-haired fairy originally from Boston, is an Artist capital A.
Making art for herself first and foremost but then…
Artists like her, much like Hansel and Gretel, will leave breadcrumbs of art all around the cities they inhabit so you can find your way to them.
A graffiti here, a poster there, a sticker on this traffic light… If you look closely, you’ll often find their signature, a name, an Insta handle, a QR code…an open invitation to venture into their world.
To find them.
That’s how we met. An eye-catching piece on a wall with her Insta handle.
Now we’re collaborating on a piece of our own (beneath) we’re gonna print big and wheat paste onto a Brooklyn wall.
Ain’t that som’n?
Artists like Eternal Possessions as creative children of Nature, are gradually reclaiming the concrete jungle.
They enhance it one bold art piece at a time, not for utility or practicality, but because it brings joy and value into our otherwise stark, concrete existence.
Art all around you is screaming: “Put down your phone! Look around! Can you see all the beauty and love we’re sharing?”
Sometimes, all we see is pain and despair. They’re also real.
But it’s our job, as artists, as people, to take those and turn them into something new and worthwhile. Like a giant recycling machine turning suffering into love. Turning our brokenness into beauty.
Together, we heal.
Then, we heal the world.
I’m honoured to introduce such a talented collage artist, muralist, and powerful woman, Brittany DiMauro AKA Eternal Possessions, as our next guest at Estimated Time of Arrival.
Click the heart if you care ♥️
Introduce Yourself and Explain How We Met
You’re awesome and found one of my works on the Bowery Wall that was up for maybe 12 hours.
You reached out to me enthusiastically and I dragged my ass about it for nine months and here we are.
Why was it only up 12 hours?
That wall is contentious… Like the bridge in the fairy tale with the trolls watching to make sure the goats don't cross.
Highly surveilled and competitive, mostly with graffiti people.
What Bothers You But We’re Not Talking About Enough?
Women's issues.
Nobody wants to accept the wage gap is a real thing and fundamentalism is on the rise. So that's important.
Another thing that bothers me is a lot of opinions and not a lot of productivity. People have a lot of fire and zeal, which is a good thing to have, but without action, it's just really complicating the issue a lot of the time.
Tell Me A Curiosity About You Most People Don’t Know
I have a severe weather obsession.
Every time there's a storm coming, even if it's a hurricane down South and not even happening where I live, I'm on Twitter, I’m watching people, are they okay? Are they screwed? What areas are flooding?
My partner says I have a weird weather boner. I'd love to chase a tornado one day.
(And we may plan a trip to see the art piece The Lightning Field by Walter de Maria, down in New Mexico, have you been? 👹 ⚡️ )
Best Advice You Ever Got
Stay in your lane.
Meaning lean into who you are. You can't be anybody else.
And let things roll off your back. We usually forget those things that make us so upset we can’t even remember a few months later.
Biggest Fear
Obviously, not dying in a tornado, haha!
Not seeing the dream through. Not accomplishing things and having to start all over again in the next life.
Accomplishing Things like What?
I've always felt like an artist and I've always dabbled in all these different art forms and nothing ever really stuck until I found collage.
But the dream used to be writing songs and then the dream was making films and then the dream was you know… I'm leaving the dream right now. I'm living the dream!
So the biggest fear would be quitting.
A Film or Series that Moved You.
The HBO documentary about racism in Boston. A Murder in Boston, which is where I grew up.
It’s the story of how being Black in the wrong place will take everything from you, from your family.
It really gripped me and got me thinking all that was real, how people treated each other… And as much as people push forward, it's as hard because other people are going to push back.
That's what we're seeing now: extremes.
A Secret Ingredient that Makes Everything Better.
My cat. Patty the cat.
(In case you missed her from the cover…⬇️)
The World Today in 5 Words or Less.
A total shit show!
Self-promo Station! Tell us what you’re up to, where people can find your work
Instagram is where you’ll find my most current stuff, where I’m going to be putting up street art and stuff.
Coming off of a break since the show I had in the summertime and thinking about a new series with less of a focus on pop art.
Also!! We’re doing the Estimated Time of Arrival artwork…as per above ☝️
And I’ve been asking myself a lot, what is the difference between art and design? What is the difference between me designing something for you, is that art? Is my art simply design? Am I just designing posters?
Maybe it’s both.
What artist(s) do you admire and wish them even more success in their field?
Cheyenne Randall, @Indian Giver — He’s an indigenous artist who I’m pretty sure works digitally, but I’m not entirely sure.
He’s inspired me to do large-scale wheat paste.
Thank you for being here with me another week, dear reader. As always, my comment section is open and would love to hear from yous :)
Keep hydrated & let go of the shit you don’t need, the apocalypse is coming 😈
Agápe,
Paula x