…we have painted together ever since Amara was a little girl...I had art supplies for the kids… even when we were really poor, I still bought art supplies. We had crayons, magic markers, watercolors and Amara would complain that there weren't enough toys - but there was always enough art supplies. – Gillian Bedford
Gillian Bedford has been painting and exhibiting for decades. Her most recent exhibit “Landscapes and Abstracts of the North Woods” is currently on view at the MacRostie Art Center in Grand Rapids, MN. Her daughter Amara Bedford is showing her first solo art show "A Visual Celebration of Nature as our Healer" across the street at the Old Central School in Grand Rapids. They’ve been inspiring and supporting each other creatively for decades. In this Area Voices learn about their individual journeys with art, how their family life cultivated wonder, Amara’s focus on art as therapy, their individual styles and processes, and of course their exhibits!
Gillian will present an artist talk tonight at the MacRostie Art Center. You can stream it at the MacRostie websiteor find it on the MacRostie Facebook page.
I love the whole concept of art as healing, the creation of art, the process letting it flow… I always picture a studio space or an outdoor space where people feel like they're safe enough to be in that creative … when that happens, it can unlock healing through the beautiful process of expression…any creative process I feel has that wonderful potential for healing. It all comes back to that root… that creative expression, whatever it is...Painting has always felt like second nature. It always felt like home. – Amara Bedford
