Featured Mom - Bee of Witchetty

Today's featured mom is an incredible artist who, believe it or not, has only been painting for just over a year. Not only has she found her voice as an artist, but she's also finding her way as a business owner.

H: What do you like to create?

B: I create acrylic and mixed media artwork but to me they are so much more then mere paintings. I love to create whimsical characters, strange big eyed girls that live in the world of make-believe. They each have a name and a story that needs to be told and it is so rewarding to see them brought to life in my art.

H: How did you get started? Are you finding success?

B: It seems as though I have always been on this journey because I feel I am becoming who I was always meant to be. However, the journey began through my scrapbooking. Scrapbooking was something that I began after I became a mother and I found it to be such a lovely way to preserve my family’s special memories and it kept me creative. As time wore on I found that I was putting a lot of artwork and doodles into my layouts and I found I was looking for a way to express myself. This led to me rediscovering drawing and then finally to taking a leap of faith and attempting to paint in acrylics. I was quite surprised when my first attempt looked like a painting.

It really was love at first brush stroke and I was hooked. I set about recording my journey through my blog and created my art store through Etsy. To date I have sold 13 paintings, both locally and internationally and I hope one day to be a full-time painter.

H: Were you creative before you had children?

B: I have always been creative. As a child I was always drawing little characters and I would write stories about magical worlds. When I left school I worked in the child care industry and my favorite part of the job was sharing my creativity with the children.

I have tried everything from jewellery making and cross stitch to scrapbooking and card making. None of this has been wasted though as I use a lot of these techniques and supplies in my artwork today. Just yesterday I cross stitched onto a canvas to embellish my latest painting.

H: Have your methods changed?

B: My artwork is constantly evolving and I don’t think I will ever stop learning new techniques or experimenting with my style.

H: How do you find time to stay creative?

B: When my daughter was young I found it hard to even wash my hair, let alone have time to be creative. When she was about 12 months old I arranged with some friends to meet up one night a week at a different house and work on our craft projects. Each person would bring their latest work and we would drink coffee and catch up without the kids. It kept me sane for those few years when she was really young.

By the time Jade was 3 she had her own art box and I had learned to share my creative time with her. Whenever Jade wanted to get creative, she could pull out her box and it contained papers, magazines to cut, child safe scissors, colouring pencils and crayons, glue etc. One thing I learned from years of working with children was how important it was to allow them to get creative every day.

Now that Jade is ten and at school I have a lot of time to be creative (around school activities, sports, housework, work LOL). We also have an art studio set up in our house that Jade and I share. It really does help if you have an area that you can just shut away and come back to later. When I used to work on my kitchen table, I found that the thought of packing away and setting up again would sometimes stop me doing art.

H: Do your kids show any creative spirit?

B: My daughter is the most creative person I know. She is always building a sculpture, writing a story, painting or drawing some wonderful artwork. She leaves me in awe sometimes and I am so proud that I have helped to nurture her creative side.

H: What have you learned after having your kids (in relation to your art)

B: To never be afraid to make a mess or a mistake. I think sometimes as adults we hold ourselves back for fear of not being good enough. I have never heard a small child tell me that they cannot draw or paint, but I know very few adults that will even try. So I keep reminding myself to push through the doubt and get messy.

H: Anything else to add?

B:The internet has changed my life and the way that I look at art. Before discovering the thousands of talented artist out there on the net, my biggest regret was not going to art school. Now I realize that I can create the artistic life I want right now and live it. It has been through the many generous and talented women around the world who gave encouragement and support to me through the net, that I am where I am now.

Visit Bee in her Etsy Shop : http://witchetty.etsy.com. She also has a fantastic blog, go on and check it out - don't forget to subscribe !: http://witchetty.typepad.com

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