Meet Comacell Brown Jr. | Artist / Muralist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Comacell Brown Jr. and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Comacell, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I’ve always just had a hustling mentality growing up and when I got into the craft of designing clothes and or graphics to make money it was hard for me to focus on working for someone else when I was starting to build my own clientele.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My art first started with me recreating football fields using notebook paper and drawing cartoon characters as a young boy. I always just had a love and passion for drawing and it evolved into so many different forms of art over the years that I don’t ever want to box myself in as just an artist, I call myself a creative problem solver. The road here wasn’t easy but with consistency and always wanting exposure to new people and areas it became more comfortable for me to adapt to different areas and relate to any person I would meet. My love for art began to blossom on custom painted t-shirts throughout high school and college but I couldn’t keep up with the demand due to my work schedule and being a one-man-army.

Eventually I went from painting clothing to designing it on photoshop and exploring ways to get clothing manufactured by the bulk. Instead of doing it for my own clothing line I helped my clients brand their businesses, websites, clothing and more. I was a one-stop shop for anything creative. During this time I also discovered painting murals through the death of a good friend named Montre “Tre Da Kid” Seay who was murdered in 2019. I reached out to a local artist named Jeff Huntington who was well known and asked if he could paint a mural of Tre’ and with my direction and suggestions he invited me to help out and that’s when I found my new love for art on a larger scale. Immediately after that we were paired up again by the City of Annapolis to create a mural of George Floyd that gained some national attention and then again with Jeff and Future History now (his non-profit) to do a huge painting of Breonna Taylor on a basketball court. That gained even more nation news coverage and went global. From that success and momentum I haven’t looked back since.

Today I’ve done projects in partnership with the Washington Commanders, Live Casino, Bradley Beal, Breonna Taylor’s family, Anne Arundel County government and many more. The lesson I’ve learned along the way is stay consistent, stay focused, stay professional and stay prayed up and you can’t lose. If it was one thing I could tell the world about my story it’s that when you really dig deep pass all of the accolades and awards and you really go far back you’ll see this story wasn’t close to perfect and I’ve faced adversity that only the strong can survive and for that I remain humble and I look forward to sharing my experiences with the next generation of artists.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Whenever I’m in Atlanta or I see a friend visiting I always recommend breakfast at Atlanta Breakfast Club, lunch at Big Daddy’s on the southside and you can’t leave without hitting up Magic City and trying the wings. You’ll see magic if you luck up and make it there on a Monday. Speaking of Mondays if it’s a week long trip I would suggest using your down time to check out the Coca-Cola factory, MLK Museum, shopping at Little Five points or getting a tattoo in the West End. If your young just starting to experience life I would recommend hitting up some of the college campuses there so many to choose from and they all pack there own vibes. Atlanta is so special in many ways that you really have to visit it multiple times to get the full VIP experience.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would like to dedicate my shout out to my grandmother Joyce Johnson who passed away March of 2021. She was my legal guardian growing up and she raised me like her son. Sometimes she calls me the son she never had. I miss her so much because she was that first person I called anytime it was good news or bad news and now that she’s gone I feel incomplete sometimes not having her to call on even through the success. Everyday I strive to be a great role model and make her proud thorough everything I do.

Website: www.cellspitfire.com

Instagram: @cellspitfire

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/cellspitfire/

Twitter: @cellspitfire

Facebook: www.facebook.com/comacell

Image Credits
@lukethompsonphotography