By Sara Button

Camille Green is a local visual artist, a longtime lover of Denton, a wife, an exceptional woman, and a soon to be mother. She's a lot of stuff, y'all. Green has been sharing her visual artwork with our beloved Dentonites for the last 15 years. Green brings something unique to the table, and I am not just referring to her preference of Banh Mi over street tacos. Her artwork is vibrant and distinctive and we are looking forward to seeing her at the Denton Day of the Dead Festival next weekend. We recently gabbed with the lady about her work, being "self-taught," and art in Denton. Read on for more!

We have seen your artwork around town for some time now. How long have you been creating.

CG: I've been creating for nearly 15 years now. I am a self-taught artist. I graduated with a degree n English Lit from TWU in 1998. I didn't start painting until 2000ish. My dad was a sign painter for a bit and as a little kid I remember watching with such intent and thinking, 'I could do that.' My mom is a creative lady too and introduced me to collaging. I always loved to color and draw, but never did an actual painting until my junior year of college. For one of my English Lit classes we had to show another form of artistic impression to accompany the assignment. I wrote and painted, painted and wrote - got positive feedback on the piece and was hooked; didn't pick it up seriously until 2000.

Walk us through a perfect Camille-Green-inspired day.

My perfect Denton day always includes catching a show and hanging out with good friends.

What is your preferred medium?

Acrylic with additives for texture.

Are you inspired by any artists?

Man am I lucky to live in a town with such talent that there are too many to list. Even the people in my life that aren't technically artists are inspiring.

Do you buy art supplies locally? If so, where?

I sure do miss me some HMS, but I like Voertman's and whoever else has stuff on sale.

Tell us about your studio and what tools you use the most.

My dining room is my studio, but we're planning to add one on to our house soon. And as far as tools I use the most, I acquired Toni LaSelle's art supplies around 2002 (my father-in-law, Bud Green, taught with her for years and years in the art department at TWU) and hands-down have loved using her things the most, especially her badass easel.

Street tacos or Banh Mi?

Banh Mi, duh.

Any advice or up and coming local artists?

Do what's unexpected. Keep an original piece from each series you complete and absolutely sign and date everything you do.

If we wanted to purchase a Camille Green original right now, where should we go?

Mr. Chopsticks on Scripture always has my art for sale and I'm C. Green Artwork on Facebook where you can see what I'm most currently working on and contact me if you're interested in commissioning an original. Also, I'm excited to be a vendor for a 4th year at Denton's Day of the Dead Festival Oct. 25, so look for me there, too.

Thanks, Camille!

Make sure to check out Green's work at Mr. Chopsticks or find her at the Day of the Dead festival this weekend and say "Hi!"