WHO ARE YOU, WHERE ARE YOU FROM, & WHAT DO YOU DO?
My name is Stacey Black and I am the owner of Bee Bottom Art. I live in Columbia, SC and I create miniature paintings that I sell at various markets around the state and surrounding areas.

DESCRIBE YOUR PROCESS.
I create miniature scale paintings (always smaller than 3″ and usually smaller than 2″ – I enjoy creating pieces the size of a quarter!). When I am prepared to sit down and create, I sketch out my art on a tiny piece of watercolor paper. My next step is usually to ink out the sketch with a fine pen. Lastly, I watercolor paint. All of the color, you see in my paintings is watercolor but I do use black pen to get in some of those fine details. The question I get asked most often is, “How do you see so well?” The answer is, I don’t! I wear magnifiers to help me with the process. Once I have created my piece, I scan it, create a mat for it, and place it into a frame. I make high quality Giclee prints from my scans.

WHAT INSPIRES YOU?
I try to find peace in what I am painting so that I can be at peace in my head. Sometimes, nature inspires me and makes me feel peaceful. Sometimes its something spooky or funny that brings me peace. I really just go with what I am feeling at the very moment I put pencil to paper.

FUN FACT ABOUT YOU.
I had never painted until 2016 when I taught myself!

WHY DO YOU LOVE TO DESIGN, CREATE + MAKE?
My head is a bit of a jungle sometimes and creating helps settle down those anxious thoughts.

WHAT IS ONE PIECE OF ADVICE YOU WOULD SHARE WITH OTHER ARTISTS + MAKERS?
Just keep going. Your people are out there. They will find you and support you.