About — BRAINSOIL & Drew Davis Fine Art

The Seed // How It Began

BRAINSOIL began as a small seed of an idea between two artist friends.

In early 2020, just after Drew Davis moved into his studio, he and fellow artist Jason Towne — a friend who is like a brother — sat around a table talking about a gathering built on music, art, creativity, and connection. The idea was simple: bring people together, fill the space with art and sound, and see what wanted to grow.

But each gathering became something more. One idea led to another. One person brought a new energy. One moment of synchronicity opened the door to the next. A small creative experiment slowly evolved into BRAINSOIL: an all-sensory art experience shaped by intuition, collaboration, timing, and the people who show up.

Eclectic from the start — not random, but alive. Art, music, performance, conversation, atmosphere, play, mystery, and community all moving through the same space, each adding its own frequency.

Studio: 393 Pacific St, San Luis Obispo. See the collective paintings, or the full history in the Archive.

The Creed

More than a party. Not quite a movement. Not a rave. Not a cult. Expect something new.

BRAINSOIL lives in that strange and beautiful in-between place — where you do not have to fully understand what is happening to feel that something is happening. Curiosity opens first. The rest of you follows.

Karl // The Brain

After BRAINSOIL 1.0 Beta became a hit, a friend named Karl made a suggestion: build a giant brain.

Drew and Jason immediately took on the project. That idea became Karl the Brain — the sculptural centerpiece that grew into one of BRAINSOIL's defining symbols, now joined by his companion: a giant neon heart.

That is part of the magic. We never fully know what will come next. A brain. A heart. A sound. A painting. A strange new object built from a passing idea. BRAINSOIL is a space where creative impulses are followed, and imagination is allowed to take physical form.

Why "BRAINSOIL"

We call it BRAINSOIL because the mind is a garden.

Ideas are seeds.

Art, music, conversation, and community are the nutrients.

And every person who enters the space helps plant something.

So what will we make next?
That is the question that keeps BRAINSOIL alive.

Get Tickets

See the Art → The Archive →