- You sold many paintings these days. And we also know that there's an emotional connection between you and your beautiful creations. How do you feel while selling your pieces? Can you tell us about your first time?

When I'm creating a new painting my main goal is to represent emotion in a way that will resonate with the viewer. I know I'm pulling from someplace subconsciously, so there's always a little bit of me in each piece, but once I complete a painting I've essentially worked out what the initial inspiration was and can then feel like moving on.

If someone finds a strong enough connection to a piece that they want to add it to their collection, I'm completely thrilled and humbled by the experience. I'm still very much a student, so I feel very fortunate to even have that kind of response.

- How does Molly Brill spend an ordinary day? What happens and you decide to create?

On a day when I'm planning to work on a new painting, I start out my morning the usual way -- breakfast, email, messages, and so on -- and begin to start working by mid morning. I know a lot of people that like to work during the night, but I find that when I start in the morning I'm not as tired and my mind is more clear.

When using watercolors, I paint for long periods and break sometimes when it seems like I'm at a stopping point. While painting, I always listen to music. I've discovered that what I'm listening to can directly affect how I'm painting, so I'll play different songs depending on what I'm trying to achieve. At the moment, I've been playing a lot of Explosions in the Sky, The Notwist, Stars, and Metric.

At the end of the day, I'll unwind and relax somehow, usually by watching a favorite TV show or something (Mad Men, recently).

- You are 19 years old now with so many great references, a stunning portfolio and there is a long life ahead of you. What do you expect from the future? Where do you think you will be in ten years?

Being an artist is something that I've been dreaming of doing since I was little (though, there was a veterinarian phase). It's what I love to do, and I don't think I can imagine myself not involved in a creative field. I want to continue growing, learning, and soaking up as much information as I can. At the moment, I'm planning on pursuing a BFA at a school for illustration. I'm not exactly sure where I'll be in ten years; hopefully still happily creating.

- You work with watercolor and mixed media. How did you choose these techniques? Who did you get all the motivation and the inspiration from? Is it coming from your family, or did you discover it totally on your own?

Sometime around the end of 2007 I wanted to explore more with color, so I used what I had -- watercolors, some acrylic, watercolor pencils, charcoal -- and began working with them. I suppose it was serendipitous, because since then I've fallen in love with using watercolors.
At the time, my motivation and inspiration weren't from one person specifically; it was really just a desire to get better, coupled with a lot of free-time.

- In the cyber world, you are also known as 'Mocabri' which means 'about death'... What's the story behind this name?

The origin of my online pseudonym is slightly boring, actually (haha). While playing with the arrangement of letters of my full name, I came up with “mocabri” and liked the sound and look of it. It bears a striking resemblance to the word “macabre”, but I don't associate the name with that meaning.

- Are you working with models or just photographs? Can you tell us about your working process?

It depends, but more recently a piece might start out with a brief flash of an image – like colors and vague composition -- that I pictured, and I'll then try to think of what direction I want the concept to go. For references, I'll use photos, a mirror, or something else and get an exact drawing down on paper. After that, I'll mix colors and start laying down thin washes of watercolor and then switch to more opaque washes. I think maybe one of the reasons I like watercolor is because it's so unpredictable, and at times, uncontrollable. There are moments in painting where I'll have a momentum going and become bolder, and this boldness will turn into almost a sort of adrenaline rush because I know that at any moment I could completely ruin what I've done and not be able to fix it. The parts of paintings that I prefer are often the result of times I didn't care whether I ruined them.

- Which books, websites and artists inspire you most these days?

It's interesting you ask, because over the summer I made a list of books I've been wanting to read or experience again, so I've been reading nonstop these past few weeks. I've just finished Franny and Zooey by J.D. Salinger and The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath (I seem to have a penchant for reading about breakdowns recently).

When I need some inspiration, I like looking around ffffound.com or notcot.org. Artist-wise, lately I've been admiring the work of James Jean and Sam Weber.

- Now, close your eyes and imagine your 'dream studio'. What do you see?

In the back of my mind I've had a fantasy of living and working in a big open loft apartment with windows that stretched across brick walls and bathed the room with natural sunlight. Right now I work on a fold-up table in my bedroom, so if I even had some sort of studio space I would be pretty happy!

- Theme of the 15th issue of Bak Magazine is 'Love'. What does this word mean to you?

Love is my family, a certain song, my favorite place... I've had crushes and infatuations, but love isn't something I've had much luck with. Maybe ask me again in a few years -- or twenty.