The artist

Christalyn Brooks is an American artist and theologian based in Orange County, Southern California. Her practice is called Spirit Fired: inks and dyes moved by fire and alcohol to tell a story. All pieces are fired with spirit, some in vodka, gin, amaretto, moonshine, wine, champagne and more, and she fires each piece by hand with an energy that she hopes ignites your soul.

Alongside the studio she is a certified art therapist, author, entrepreneur and licensed gemologist, with a B.A. in Psychology and a minor in Theology. Through MAD Therapy she works with kids, adults and families in individual and group therapy, and her studies range across creative writing, psychology, interior design, mixology, gemology and theology.

In her works she uses mannequins, alcohol, fire, and misfit techniques and pieces, because she feels most connected to what is most misunderstood. Her art carries emotions from places and relationships she has lived through and travelled: Central America, Europe, the Netherlands, the United States, Israel and the Hawaiian Islands.

I feel the power of the substance is in the hands of the one controlling it rather than the substance controlling the hand. Christalyn Brooks

Beyond the canvas

Her work extends to wall and home decor, surfboards, and fire jewelry under Pacific Muse Jewelry. She is also a published author: a children's book and poetry, with the Italian edition of her book LIBERO released in 2023.

She founded and ran an art studio with its own curriculum, taught hundreds of students and painted commercial murals. The same energy runs through all of it: color, spirit and fire, guided by hand.