A rare native of Sarasota, a former craft bartender at Sage restaurant, an occasional heavy metal drummer for Dealey Plaza, and now a makeshift garage artist gone viral. Brandon Thrift has made waves this year with his ‘Spread Love’ art movement that started locally—popping up around city hotspots, parks and street corners, as well as outside buildings, inside businesses, galleries and markets—and has since spread nationwide on his recent cross-country road trip through 13 states. From Florida, across the American Southwest, all the way up the Pacific Coast and back down again, the long-haired painter and feeler dropped his splattered signs with a higher message as he crossed state lines and made his way back to the SRQ with quite the following from social media and word-of-mouth around town. Busier than ever foraging for canvases to pump out more of his recognizable artwork for public donations or custom commissions, Thrift presses the pause button on throwing paint and petting dogs to talk an everlasting crush on Jessica Alba, denim fedoras and climbing up rusty rollercoasters.  Follow @artbybrandonthrift.

A recent day in the life?  First and foremost, coffee. On a normal day I wake up around 7am, make some coffee and plan out the day. Depending on the weather, I can get a lot of artwork cranked out— the sunshine helps tremendously. I’ll go treasure hunting (dumpster diving) for more off-the-wall items I can use for canvases.  

When you were a kid you dreamed of . . . Jessica Alba. I had (still have) such a big crush on her. I saw her in the movie Into The Blue when I was 10. That’s all you need to know 

Your guilty pleasure  . . .
Jessica Alba. And baked goods, preferably cinnamon rolls. 

Thought you had driving to work this morning . . . 

Thankful that dogs don’t have to wear clothes. 

For what fault have you been the most tolerant  . . . 

Diet. We are what we eat. No exception.  

In our hometown, we do too much ____ and too little ____
 worrying, going to the beach.

Your favorite villain in fiction . . .

Michael Myers, Danny Devito as The Penguin (for obvious reasons), low IQ henchmen of any sort.  

Your favorite villain in real life  . . . 

Self-deprecation, the Ab Wheel and low sugar diets

My last supper would include  . . .

Probably something with tofu in it and a mountain of veggies. I love me some spicy cauliflower.

Words you use too often . . . 
“For sure!”  “Dude” “Absolutely” 

What is one thing that you will never understand   . . .

Hate. Ignorance.

Your favorite music artists  . . .

At the moment, I’ve been in love with anything Cold Wave,  Men I Trust, King Gizzard, John Prine, Brenda Lee and Mac DeMarcos demos.

If not yourself, who would you be? 

Either a Labrador or an alligator. Being a lab in a family with kids would have to be the absolute best life. So many treats, so many ear scratches, always excited. And alligators are just absolute units. Kings of nature. 

If you could undo one invention in the world, what would it be?  Consumerism. 

What was the funniest thing you remember doing as a kid?  I remember being 5 or 6, getting home from Sunday family beach day with my brothers and riding bikes naked around our neighborhood. Also having grapefruit fights instead of snowball fights. We were goofy kids.

What is the scariest thing you have ever done?  I just recently went urban exploring in New Orleans and visited the abandoned Six Flags and the old factory on Market Street. Between climbing to the top of the rusty rollercoaster and the 80-ft tall decaying staircases of the factory, my hands have never been more clammy. Please don’t tell my mom.  

If you had your own talk show, who would your first three guests be?  Eric Andre, William Shakespeare and Mother Teresa.

Your favorite food of the moment is . . . 

Cashew cream cheese on an everything bagel with jalapeños. Or anything from Leaf & Lentil. Love that place. 

You have to wear a t-shirt with one word on it, what would it be?  L O V E.

If you could snap your fingers and appear somewhere else, where would you be?  Bora Bora or mountains with a ridiculously rewarding view, like Mt. Fuji or Everest.

What in your mind is the biggest fashion faux pas?   Are denim fedoras a thing? 

What song best describes your life right now?  “Just A Phase” - Puma Blue  

SRQ