Brandi Donan’s career as an artist started when she was young and would watch Bob Ross tutorials with her grandmother. She went a different direction and didn’t give it a second thought until adulthood, when she rediscovered the joy painting brought her. “I started painting professionally in 2012 and realized throughout the years that I was really most interested in the stories behind the things that I painted, not just about making something beautiful,” Brandi shares.
It was this storytelling aspect of painting that inspired Brandi’s recently released book. Art of Spirits is all about the stories behind beautiful drinks that are typically so fleeting. “I had been thinking about Art of Spirits for a couple of years, even before I started it,” Brandi says. “I thought that it wasn't going to work, that it was too big of a project. At a certain point, I decided to quit overthinking it and just dive in to see what would happen.” With that, her long-deliberated idea became a reality.
With Art of Spirits, Brandi’s desire is to celebrate Chattanooga's creatives—and not just the ones people typically think about. “I started viewing cocktail creators as artists themselves,” Brandi shares. “I noticed how much creativity goes into making a drink because they are making choices on flavor, balance, aroma, and texture.” She has spent the last three years interviewing Chattanooga’s cocktail creators and capturing the stories behind the drinks they create. “I then interpreted those stories through oil paintings,” Brandi explains. “I have 18 restaurants and bars that participated in the project; places like Calliope, Easy Bistro, The Rosecomb, Civil Provisions, Whiskey Thief, and a whole bunch more.”
She also enjoys how special it is to take temporary drinks and make them permanent. “I see a lot of people going to bars and when they get their cocktail, they pause and admire it or take pictures of it,” Brandi notes. “You almost hate to take that first sip, because it is going to ruin it a little bit. I get to preserve that moment in paint, and I also get to tell the story.” This allows Brandi to slow down and notice all the details about her subject drink as well. “I notice the way the light hits the glass, a reflection, or just a tiny shift in color that I think most people are too busy to notice,” she says, “and it really makes me grateful to be able to appreciate the beauty in just ordinary things.”
When she created each of the 50 cocktail paintings in Art of Spirits, Brandi aimed to take what inspired the drinks and transport the viewer into that story. “For example, I have one called the California Gold Rush,” she says. “I had the drink sitting with a lot of gold mining pans, bags of gold, and a journal. I had imagined that a man was sitting there writing to his family who lived out east, saying to them, ‘I’ve struck gold, come join me and we’re going to have this different life.’”
Brandi does not just transport the viewer through the painting, but included 50 cocktail recipes—including several non-alcoholic recipes—and a section of Art of Spirits that explains some of the stories and props she chose for each painting. “I think anyone who loves art, cocktails, storytelling, or just having a really beautiful book would enjoy Art of Spirits,” Brandi shares. “I designed the book so that it is beautiful enough to leave on the coffee table, but also functional enough to hopefully end up next to a cocktail shaker.” Whether someone visiting Chattanooga gets Art of Spirits as a memento from their trip, someone gives it as a gift for a loved one, or a local uses it to find a new restaurant to try, Art of Spirits offers something to everyone.
Brandi’s original oil paintings from Art of Spirits are on display the remainder of this month at Townsend Atelier and her book is available for sale on her website, BrandiDonan.com. To see behind the scenes and connect with Brandi, follow her on Instagram @BrandiDonan.
"I get to preserve that moment in paint, and I also get to tell the story."
"I notice the way the light hits the glass, a reflection, or just a tiny shift in color"
See It, Sip It, Take It Home
Catch Art of Spirits in person before the book ever hits shelves. Brandi Donan's original oil paintings are on exhibit at Townsend Atelier through October 2, 2026, culminating in a public exhibition and book launch from 5PM-8PM featuring the artwork alongside cocktails inspired by the very drinks on the canvas.
The Collector's Edition, a signed first printing with foil accents, a soft-touch cover and more than 250 full-color pages, is available now for preorder at a discounted price, with copies arriving this October. Inside: all 50 paintings, their accompanying recipes, bartender and venue profiles, and even original poetry inspired by select drinks.
Learn more or reserve a copy at BrandiDonan.com.