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September 19, 2017

Tea and Cake with Gracie featuring Wendy Brightbill

By Gracie  |   in artist interviews  | Tags: wendy brightbill , giveaway , Tea & Cake with Gracie  

Hi Guys! Welcome to a series we run on the blog called: Tea & Cake with Gracie :) My awesome friend and colleague Gracie Howle interviews inspiring artists and posts the interviews (including some free offers not published elsewhere before) here on the blog every 2 months or so. I love to create art and bring amazing artists & people together in my classes, in person and on social media. As part of this drive, I want to help bring more exposure to some of the amazing artists out there! Today Gracie’s interviewing Wendy Brightbill. Make sure you check out Wendy’s giveaway, free video tutorial and downloadable print! Tam xoxo

If you love Artist Interviews make sure you read the previous Tea and Cake with Gracie ones – click on artist’s name to go to their interview: Whitney Freya / Violette Clark / Melissa Dinwiddie / Tascha Parkinson / Susana Tavares / Lynn Whipple / Karine Bossé / Jenny Grant / France Papillon / Jenny Wentworth / Kristin Dudish / Rachael Rice / Angela Kennedy (Pennystamper) / Andrea Gomoll

Hi Guys! Gracie here :) Take this moment now for some self care, if you can, get comfortable, relax and be inspired by this months interview with the lovely Wendy Brightbill. I am sending you love and peaceful thoughts <3 Enjoy! :)

1. Welcome Wendy! Tell us a bit about yourself and what you do.

My name is Wendy Brightbill and I am somewhat of a creative wanderer, an artist who enjoys exploring a multitude of mediums and styles. I love messy child-like play especially when it involves paint. I picked up a paintbrush after a car accident rearranged my brain from a closed head injury. I believe that there is healing to be found in art making and getting lost in the process. I try not to treat my art as being too precious, and yet, I am deeply committed to my daily creative practice. Art making is a little like breathing air for me. I can’t live without it. I am also a mother to three beautiful girls and a wife of 17 years to my biggest cheerleader. I have lived in Colorado for all of my life. All I ever needed to know, I learned from being a kindergarten teacher for four years. I just turned forty and I am finding this new found super power of saying no to the things that don’t bring me joy or peace.

Wendy’s giving away this beautiful 9 x 12 original painting to one lucky reader!

*GIVEAWAY NOW CLOSED * GIVEAWAY WINNER ANNOUNCED:
Thank you to everyone for joining in the giveaway, we loved reading your lovely comments! The randomly drawn winner is:

Donna P

who said:

Congratulations to Donna P! :)

You can watch Wendy creating this original painting in the video ‘Still Life Painting’ below.

Watch Wendy create ‘Still Life Painting’ in this, brand new and just for us, art video:

(Click the ‘play button’ to watch this video or click on the review link here: Review Link)

Wendy’s also offering you the gorgeous downloadable print below: ‘Miracles Happen’ :) (Pls note this print is to use and share for personal use only and, if you’re reposting online or on social media, we’d appreciate it if you include a reference link to Wendy’s site: www.agirlandherbrush.com. Thanks for understanding!)

Download and print out the high resolution version of this print by right-clicking on the image above and choose ‘save target as’ / ‘download linked file as’ or downloading from this link: MiraclesHappenPrintWendyBrightbill.JPG

Learn more about Wendy by reading the following interview:

2. You had a car accident 6 years ago that resulted in a brain injury, I’m so sorry that happened to you Wendy! If it’s okay for you, can you tell us a little about that and the process and why it was art, specifically, that you turned to?

I would be happy to tell you more about my car accident and brain injury. It has become so much a part of my creative journey. My car accident happened in 2004, which will actually make it 13 years ago this summer. I can’t believe that it has been so long. I suffered a traumatic brain injury, which is more common I think than people realize. Many times, I think these type of injuries are not even diagnosed because symptoms are subtle and don’t even show themselves right away. In the years following my car accident, I struggled with chronic pain, depression, ptsd, and personality changes. The only way I can describe the feeling, is like my entire brain was simply rewired. There are varying degrees of brain injuries and they all affect people in different ways. For me, I went from being a more left brained person to being forced to use my right brain more. I had always been somewhat creative. Before my brain injury, I could draw detailed pencil sketches but not sit down and paint something out of my head like I do now. Some years after my car accident, I began experimenting with collage and mixed media art. And for the first time in my life, I actually made art simply for the joy of making art. This daily creative practice became a huge part of my healing. I love my life today and I am actually grateful for the gifts that this trauma brought into my life. I can’t imagine not being an artist.

3. I am totally in awe of your beautiful embroidery and sewing in your artwork. Why do you think you are drawn to adding sewing in your art and when did that start for you?

My mother is an accomplished seamstress. Some of my earliest memories include falling asleep to the sewing machine whirring away in the next room. When I was a young child, I remember being mesmerized by all of the colors of thread at the fabric store. I even put several of my favorite colors into my pockets trying to take them home with me. So my obsession for color drove me to shoplift. I think the exposure to sewing from such a young age allowed for this to become such a natural progression in my creative wanderings. So in some ways, I suppose it was just meant to be. I love the texture that stitching gives to my work and the fact that it forces me to slow down in my creative process.

4. I love both your illustrations AND abstract art. Are you drawn to creating abstract more than illustration or vice versa?

I wouldn’t say that I am drawn to one over the other. I feel like I go through stages in my art making. I like to explore different mediums for a period of time. I am a true mixed media artist, in that when I get bored with one medium, I move onto another. Each stage that I go through as an artist, I feel builds upon the other ones. Currently, I am into making still life paintings that also incorporate elements of my abstract art. Ask me again in a year, and I am quite certain I will be onto the next thing. This used to frustrate me to no end. But now I have simply learned to embrace it because I feel like it makes me a more versatile artist.

5. What is on your art table right now?

Right now I have been teaching myself how to paint with oil paints. It’s something that I have wanted to try for a very long time, but was always terrified to do so. I learned how to paint with acrylics, so learning to paint with oils has required for me to change how I approach painting. I really love the richness of oils and the things that I can do with them. I love that as an artist I get to keep learning and growing. Who knows where my creative path will lead me? But I am sure going to enjoy the journey as I go.


Thank you for chatting with us Wendy! You can find out more about Wendy on her website: www.agirlandherbrush.com or through the links below. Keep creating, whatever it might be, see you all soon! Love Gracie x

Website: agirlandherbrush.com
Blog: agirlandherbrush.wordpress.com
Classes: agirlandherbrush.com/classes
Embroidery course: jeanneoliver.ning.com/group/stitchery-school-a-mini-course

Tam (and Maddie, Andy, the wonderful Life Book Teachers and I) have been super busy, preparing and adding glitter and sparkles to Life Book 2018!!! IT. IS. SO. EXCITING! This year is Life Book’s 7th year (wowza!). Life Book started in 2011 and in that time Life Book and the wonderful teachers and students have brought to it love, growth, healing, glitter, community, connection, tears,  triumph, ART and so much more! <3 This year Tam has expanded the Life Book vision and included many more varied and juicy lessons and offerings <3 Come and JOIN US! – it’s over here: Life Book 2018 FUN and remember to use the 20% early bird discount code LOVEBOMB2018 before 31st Dec 2017 for your discount! :)

You may also like:

  • Rainbow Unicorn Give Away #2 – Yay!

  • Tea and Cake with Gracie featuring Jeanne-Marie Webb

  • Tea and Cake with Gracie featuring Melissa Dinwiddie

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Mixed media artist, teacher and author. I don’t see all IG msgs. For enq pls email hello@willowing.org - Join Creating Cuties:

In and amongst all the admin work and all the prep there is little to no time for art but managed to grab a small hour to create a quick sweet thing. 😊 🐱 🐈‍⬛ 😍😍😍

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In and amongst all the admin work and all the prep there is little to no time for art but managed to grab a small hour to create a quick sweet thing. 😊 🐱 🐈‍⬛ 😍😍😍

Frensies! I’m SO MEGA excited because it’s nearly time! On 1st September, A Year of Magic & Fairy Tales will open for enrolment, and for the first 1,000 magical souls, you can join at the lowest price available (these always go fast, so keep an eye out!).

If you’ve been longing for a year of creativity, comfort, and everyday enchantment, this is your gentle nudge. We’ll wander through glowing forests, meet enchanted creatures, and rediscover the magic hidden in the ordinary, with a sparkling taster event to start our adventure! 🧚✨🦄

We are deep in the trenches of prepping this magical event, I can’t wait to share it with you! 😍😍😍

If your heart needs a warm, creative hug and a sprinkle of fairy dust, this is for you. Full details, teacher line-up, and taster info are coming very soon; watch your inbox!

If you`re not on the newsletter, now is the time to join! Join the newsletter here: https://bit.ly/WillowingNews to be the first to get all the deets!! 😍😍😍 (or link in my bio/ linktree/ stories)

Open
Frensies! I’m SO MEGA excited because it’s nearly time! On 1st September, A Year of Magic & Fairy Tales will open for enrolment, and for the first 1,000 magical souls, you can join at the lowest price available (these always go fast, so keep an eye out!).

If you’ve been longing for a year of creativity, comfort, and everyday enchantment, this is your gentle nudge. We’ll wander through glowing forests, meet enchanted creatures, and rediscover the magic hidden in the ordinary, with a sparkling taster event to start our adventure! 🧚✨🦄

We are deep in the trenches of prepping this magical event, I can’t wait to share it with you! 😍😍😍 

If your heart needs a warm, creative hug and a sprinkle of fairy dust, this is for you. Full details, teacher line-up, and taster info are coming very soon; watch your inbox!

If you're not on the newsletter, now is the time to join! Join the newsletter here: https://bit.ly/WillowingNews to be the first to get all the deets!! 😍😍😍 (or link in my bio/ linktree/ stories)

Celebrate Joy. In 2014, I went on a retreat in Bali with the wonderful Flora Bowley, and for some time afterwards, I found myself playing with the techniques and ideas I learned from her in my own art. I loved discovering all the luminous colours and acrylic brands Flora used; Quinacridone Magenta, Cobalt Teal, Quinacridone Nickel Azo Gold (sadly discontinued, I think), and Turquoise Phthalo have all become favourites over the years!

This painting is one of those where I experimented with methods and ideas from Flora, but you can definitely still see the ‘Tamness’ shining through. The whimsy and quirkiness are classic Tam! I love learning from other artists and weaving little pieces of their style into my own. Over time, this process gradually transforms into something that’s uniquely yours.

That’s why I always reassure my students not to worry about ‘copying’ a teacher’s style too much. In the beginning, you might follow closely; eventually, you’ll drop the bits that don’t resonate, and keep the things that do, putting your own spin on them until, voilà, a whole new style emerges! It’s such a beautiful thing, because we’re all interconnected as humans; we learn from each other in so many ways, and it’s lovely to have a legacy of teachers leaving gentle traces within the art you create.

For me, it speaks to a kind of spiritual oneness. It reminds me how connected we all are to the whole. ✨🙌✨

Have you ever noticed little hints of your favourite artists peeking through in your own work, or a moment when something you learned from someone else transformed into something uniquely yours? I’d love to hear your stories!

This is day 17 of a ‘gentle return to social media’ read more about this practice here: http://bit.ly/3IHFxir 🌱

Open
Celebrate Joy. In 2014, I went on a retreat in Bali with the wonderful Flora Bowley, and for some time afterwards, I found myself playing with the techniques and ideas I learned from her in my own art. I loved discovering all the luminous colours and acrylic brands Flora used; Quinacridone Magenta, Cobalt Teal, Quinacridone Nickel Azo Gold (sadly discontinued, I think), and Turquoise Phthalo have all become favourites over the years!

This painting is one of those where I experimented with methods and ideas from Flora, but you can definitely still see the ‘Tamness’ shining through. The whimsy and quirkiness are classic Tam! I love learning from other artists and weaving little pieces of their style into my own. Over time, this process gradually transforms into something that’s uniquely yours.

That’s why I always reassure my students not to worry about ‘copying’ a teacher’s style too much. In the beginning, you might follow closely; eventually, you’ll drop the bits that don’t resonate, and keep the things that do, putting your own spin on them until, voilà, a whole new style emerges! It’s such a beautiful thing, because we’re all interconnected as humans; we learn from each other in so many ways, and it’s lovely to have a legacy of teachers leaving gentle traces within the art you create.

For me, it speaks to a kind of spiritual oneness. It reminds me how connected we all are to the whole. ✨🙌✨ 

Have you ever noticed little hints of your favourite artists peeking through in your own work, or a moment when something you learned from someone else transformed into something uniquely yours? I’d love to hear your stories!

This is day 17 of a ‘gentle return to social media’ read more about this practice here: http://bit.ly/3IHFxir 🌱

When I was a teenager, I collected elephant statues; by the time I was 18, I must’ve had hundreds. I’ve always adored elephants. There`s something about their grounded presence and quiet wisdom that feels profoundly comforting. I love that they’re matriarchal, that they mourn their dead, that they move through the world with a seeming intelligence and heart.

When Andy and I lived in Sri Lanka for three years, we visited an elephant sanctuary and it was honestly one of the most magical experiences of my life. Watching the gentle connection between carers and elephants moved me deeply. They had a beautiful closeness I silently envied!

So it’s no surprise that elephants have wandered their way into my art again and again. I love painting them both whimsically and realistically. Their shapes are so satisfying to work with: cute chonky feet, soulful eyes, those expressive trunks and giant ears; it’s like they’re built for art! 🎨🖌️

This piece, painted back in 2014, is a special one. I was exploring how to bring more “grunge” and texture into my work; layering deeply, playing with contrasts. The rough, earthy background felt like the perfect contrast to the milky-white skin of the elephant, who gazes out with such a soft, knowing expression. Even here, she seems to whisper: be gentle. be wise. be still.

I hope she brings some of that same quiet comfort to your day, too. 🤍 🐘

This is day 16 of a ‘gentle return to social media’ read more about this practice here: http://bit.ly/3IHFxir 🌱

Open
When I was a teenager, I collected elephant statues; by the time I was 18, I must’ve had hundreds. I’ve always adored elephants. There's something about their grounded presence and quiet wisdom that feels profoundly comforting. I love that they’re matriarchal, that they mourn their dead, that they move through the world with a seeming intelligence and heart.

When Andy and I lived in Sri Lanka for three years, we visited an elephant sanctuary and it was honestly one of the most magical experiences of my life. Watching the gentle connection between carers and elephants moved me deeply. They had a beautiful closeness I silently envied! 

So it’s no surprise that elephants have wandered their way into my art again and again. I love painting them both whimsically and realistically. Their shapes are so satisfying to work with: cute chonky feet, soulful eyes, those expressive trunks and giant ears; it’s like they’re built for art! 🎨🖌️ 

This piece, painted back in 2014, is a special one. I was exploring how to bring more “grunge” and texture into my work; layering deeply, playing with contrasts. The rough, earthy background felt like the perfect contrast to the milky-white skin of the elephant, who gazes out with such a soft, knowing expression. Even here, she seems to whisper: be gentle. be wise. be still.

I hope she brings some of that same quiet comfort to your day, too. 🤍 🐘

This is day 16 of a ‘gentle return to social media’ read more about this practice here: http://bit.ly/3IHFxir 🌱

You are the light. ✨⭐️🌟💫

Open
You are the light. ✨⭐️🌟💫
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