Imagine the coral-infused streets of Havana, where hand-painted walls and lettering is a common sight. It seemed natural for Cinthia Santos, half of the mural duo Chalk and Brush, to take the visuals from her Cuban childhood and use it as inspiration for a booming business.
The venture from Point A to Point B was as winding as a paint stroke – it started with fashion drawings and continues on the walls of some of the most beloved spots across South Florida. Her client list includes Starbucks, Shake Shack, Spotify, Jack Daniels,Veza Sur Brewing and more. We caught up with Cyn to ask her about chalk, brushes, walls and more.
Q: What’s your go-to doodle?
I mean I don’t want to say just signing my name over and over but probably just signing my name over and over. I also write “fuck” in cursive a lot. There are a lot of really pretty opportunities with the “f” and the “k,” and it’s short.
Q: Would you rather be a fly on the wall or throw something at the wall and see what sticks?
Throw something at the wall and see what sticks. I’ve painted over a lot of flies, and it doesn’t look like a good death.
Q: If you could design a new letter, what would it look like and how would it sound?
I feel like we should call the letter people and petition them to put this in:
It’s not a letter, it’s a punctuation mark. It’s not a question mark or an exclamation mark. It’s called a Womp. It’s like an exclamation point, but it expresses disappointment. It kind of looks like a tired “I.”
You would put it at the end of a sentence when you want to express a little disappointment. I think I’m onto something.
Q: What is the worst the bumper sticker someone could put on your car?
If someone puts a Trump bumper sticker on my car, that shit is going to melt through the metal like acid. Or any other dumb conversational bumper sticker like “Ask me about my tattoos.“
Q: How do you feel about cargo pants?
I could definitely see the appeal.
Q: Tell us a secret.
I don’t know how to swim. Everyone always wants to teach me, but I feel like I’m past that point. I’m not a graceful person in the water.
Q: Who do you want to hug right now?
My dad. He went to Cuba to spend time with my grandparents, then Covid hit. He is kind of stuck there and it feels like it’s very close, which makes it 100% worse.
Q: Off the Wall or The Wall?
Definitely The Wall. I love the cover, it’s got that nice tiled texture, so I always pictured myself lettering it and getting into all of the crevices.
Q: What’s something that you love that the world hates?
I love being home. I think I’ve been training for quarantine since middle school. I’ve really been thriving here.
