Today we’d like to introduce you to Angie Bryant.
Hi Angie, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
In 2017, I was an elementary art teacher who enjoyed my job, but I wanted more creativity. One day, I was allowed to open my creative studio. My husband and I discussed it but knew it would take much of our savings. During one talk, I got an email from a relative I hadn’t seen in over 30 years. She said my dad, who died in 2015, would’ve been so proud of me. My dad was also a creative who worked with wood. I was still sad about losing him and took the email as a sign to take a risk. So, I opened my studio that year in Greer, SC. After a year of teaching full-time and running a business, it was too much. So, I made the hard choice to stop teaching. The business went well for a few years. I was painting again and holding art classes. I even started doing remote workshops and in-home parties. But as that side grew, COVID hit, and I had to close the studio in 2020. At first, I was distraught. I’d left a job I loved, put my heart into the studio, and then it was gone. But COVID gave me something good – time. Time to focus on my art.
In 2020, I coped with isolation by painting a lot. I tried different mediums but kept coming back to alcohol inks. I fell in love with how vibrant they are. I mainly paint on tile, Masonite, or rigid gesso panels. I make flowers with deep, delicate layers and bleeding colors using air. I felt lonely in 2021, my first year as an empty nester. All the weekends of sports and dance were gone. Then, memories of my dad pointed me in a new direction again. After retiring, my dad did local arts festivals. I loved spending that time with him. So I got a tent and started doing festivals. In the last 3 years, I’ve done over 100 across the Southeast. To appeal to more people, I make home accent items like coasters with prints of my original paintings. In 2023, my sales tripled, and my social media following grew to over 200K. Now, I’m excited to see where this next year takes me.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It could be a smoother road, but all the twists and turns have taught me new things.
Let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
My art explores the fleeting yet vivid nature of flowers through alcohol inks. Artist Corita Kent and her quote inspire me: “Flowers grow out of dark moments. Therefore, each moment is vital. It affects the whole. Life is a succession of such moments; to live each is to succeed.” Like flowers, our lives are made up of moments, each one impacting the whole. I’m fascinated by how the inks move unpredictably across the page. My floral paintings use messy, yet the inks capture the brief beauty of a flower’s bloom. My process starts by looking at images of flowers. With these in mind, I let the inks spread instinctively across the paper, suggesting shapes and lines. My flowers aren’t exact representations. Instead, they are a mixture of fantasy and reality. As the inks mix, they produce bright shades that capture the flowers’ essence. I hope to absorb viewers in flowers’ splendid yet fleeting beauty through these paintings. One thing that sets me apart from others is my broad range of products. I aim to have items that appeal to anyone, regardless of age or income. Not everyone wants wall art, so I learned how to print my original designs on different things. I offer original paintings, prints, and home decor pieces that make great gifts.
Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
Having lived in Greer for 30 years, I’ve seen it change for the better. It has a charming downtown with parks, shops, and restaurants. Greer is a diverse, friendly town with activities for all. If I could make one change, it would be to increase local interest in the arts and create a vibrant artist community with studios and galleries open to the public.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.angiebryantart.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/angiebryantart/
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/angiebryantart
- Other: www.tiktok.com/@angiebryantart
