We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Britt Bair a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Britt, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.
I was a representational artist for 25 years with an impressionistic style. I painted landscapes and seascapes with a plein air group but later my emphasis was on painting cows (another story). After buying a home in Florida I decided to take an art class call expressionism in art. It was basically taking a photo and then painting it from memory. This loosened my style tremendously. The instructor asked me to take an abstract class and said I might enjoy it. I learned several techniques which I build off of today; it turned my life around! It taught me to paint intuitively. I let my art school background dictate the basics of composition, color, values etc. and I was surprised that I could actually paint a cohesive abstract painting that made sense. It transformed me!
Britt, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
My first recollection of becoming enthusiastic about painting was in kindergarten when I refused to finger paint with the rest of the class. After watching all the other kids having so much fun I decided to try it and then refused to stop! I was hooked! I continued to draw constantly as a child, entered and won art contests at school, majored in art in college and became a graphic designer after graduation. While I was raising my family I continued pursuits in design by renovating several homes, designing interiors and landscaping. When I started painting again it was as if I had never stopped. I took classes to refresh my memory on the basics and began showing my work. An artist friend and I started an artist group called Wilson Avenue Loft Artists where I had my studio and gallery space along with 14 other like minded artists. We had Open Studios once a year and showed our work at several local venues. After ten years I built a studio in my home and was able to really concentrate on my art as a business. I began teaching semi private and private lessons to adults but found I needed to focus more on my own art. After a few solo shows with my abstracts, clients were asking for commissions and interior designers were selling my work to their clients. My paintings are colorful, and have many layers of mixed media. They often reveal a message that captivates my viewer. My hope is to create a unique painting that someone can relate to, where they can interpret and recall a place in their own story and enjoy a sense of light and happiness.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
The most rewarding aspect of being an artist is the joy I feel when I’m totally immersed in my work and then the joy on someones face when they tell me they love it! Most of my work I create for myself. I never pick a color because it is the next trend or pick a style because it will sell. I do however create commissions for clients based on a painting they loved but has already sold. My paintings are intuitive. They are not planned in any way other than exhibiting the basics of creating art. I look for composition and value which sets the tone. In this way they can be resolved more easily and only then can I introduce them to the world. Everything I look at is through my artistic lens. It has helped me to create a beautiful home and garden and also develop my own personal style.
Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?
When I started painting there was no Instagram or Facebook. There was no internet to look up artists and learn about their style and techniques. I went to the library or book store and perused art books. I went to museums and stared at the masters and art galleries for inspiration. Having all this technology at your fingertips has greatly improved my style and has introduced me to literally a whole new world of artists. I love posting on Instagram for the purpose of exposing my work but I also love following artists from all corners of the world to learn their techniques, color and composition. I could spend hours on Instagram looking at their work, watching artist videos and learning about new tools of the trade.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.brittbair.com
- Instagram: brittbair2
- Facebook: Britt Bair