The Maker Series: Bethany Eden Watercolor

Happy Wednesday, Lovelies. Today I am filled with so much joy to introduce to you a lovely artist whose colourful Instagram feed is one of my absolute favourites to see every single day. Her artwork is gorgeous and I wish I could spend a day in one of her prints: soaking in all of the beauty, smelling all of the flowers, and making friends with the journeying elk. I am pleased to share Bethany Eden with all of you. I hope you enjoy. 

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I’ve always been a creator, ever since my artist dad introduced me to drawing and making when I was very young. Throughout my school years, I explored many different mediums, focusing on watercolor painting and sculpture in college. I had a whole year when I challenged myself not to make anything two- dimensional, and a lot of tiny sculptures resulted, made by combining found objects with paper that had been painted on with watercolor. I really enjoyed making tiny worlds, and using stitching, tearing, layering, and mark making to explore relationships between objects.

More recently, I’ve had the privilege of being an artist full-time, thanks to my very supportive husband. With so much of my time freed up to create what I want, I’ve started exploring different avenues and watching to see which I’ll end up leaning toward. Or maybe it will always be a balancing act, where I switch back and forth. Recently, I’ve been wearing three hats: illustrator, product designer, and painter. 

Some weeks are spent working on illustrations and edits for a children’s book I’m creating. The story is about a girl who carries a huge rock on her back, and how she learns to not carry all of her burdens on her own. The rock is a metaphor for guilt, shame, pressure, evil... anything that weighs us down. The idea came to me after realizing some difficult things in my life were still a burden to me many years later, and I felt an invitation to let someone stronger carry it for me. It’s a very personal story, and it’s been such a joy to meet many people who relate to this feeling. Hopefully it won’t be much longer before it’s finished and published!

I’ve recently entered the world of creating products out of my art. It’s been very rewarding getting to create a design that will be used in people’s everyday lives. It’s become a way where I can share my art with people, without them needing to pay the price of an original painting. My online shop has art prints, stationary, towels, and pillows. For these products, I’ve loved creating bright, positive imagery, inspired by nature and my surroundings. I also really love creating patterns using watercolor, and I hope to explore that more in the future.

The creative outlet that most feels like home to me is that of a fine artist. Since university, I’ve been creating series of paintings that tell a personal story or convey an aspect of truth. These series are almost always inspired by meditations on God, who he is and how he relates to us. I feel like there is an endless wealth of imagery in this relationship, and it’s never difficult to discover new metaphors to translate into paintings. One of my favorite things about being an artist is the way people can have so many varied reactions and interpretations to my art, and how those can lead to meaningful conversations and relationships.

I love getting to share my art with the world, and being able to point to truth using my abilities. It seems there is something about art that creates a conversation on a deeper level, using a language deeper than words. I’m so thankful to be a part of that while I’m alive.

Photography by Brian Flaherty and Katelyn Creech

Follow Bethany Eden Watercolor - Website. Etsy. Zazzle. Instagram. Facebook. Twitter. 

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Are you in love yet? I am in love all over again. From this gorgeous dishcloth, to this print, I want to fill my home with her bright colours. I think I know somebody who would appreciate this print, and this one, and this journal is so great. Oh and I need this, this one, and this piece of fabric!

If you would like to be a part of the Maker Series or if you know of someone who you think should be showing of their talents, please email me at knottedhome (at) hotmail (dot) com. The Maker Series is a place of inspiration, encouragement, and support to those who want to craft, create, or live a homemade lifestyle. This series is all about creating a comfortable and inspirational place in which we can showoff our talents and inspire anyone who has ever dreamed to start something new.