The Mama Judy and Jill Podcast

Episode 17: A Chat with Artists (and mother/daughter duo) Bee Sieburg and Molly Courcelle

• Jill Gottenstrater, Judy George, Bee Sieburg, Molly Courcelle • Episode 17

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In this episode, Mama Judy and I had the pleasure of chatting with Bee Sieburg and Molly Courcelle, mother-daughter duo who both happen to be successful professional artists in Asheville, NC.

Bee and Molly each share their own stories of how they came to be the artists they are today. From where they draw from for inspiration in their art, to what it’s like working in adjoining studios in the River Arts District, to an “origin” story that will give you full body goosebumps! 

We hope you enjoy today’s chat! 

Click here to find Bee on Instagram.
Bee’s website.

Click here to find Molly on Instagram.
Molly’s website.



If you'd prefer to watch this podcast, you can find us over on our YouTube page (The Mama Judy & Jill Podcast).

We'd LOVE to hear from you! Click here to send us your thoughts and ideas for a future episode.

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Jill:

Well, hi everyone. Thank you for joining us again this week. And we have an exciting surprise. We have two artists that have joined us today. And like Mama Judy and I, mother daughter duo, we have another mother daughter duo. We have got Molly Courcelle, who is my age. and Bea is her mother. Bea Seberg They're both artists and we're going to hear their stories today. So welcome you all.

Molly:

Welcome. Thanks for having us.

Jill:

Yes, and I wanted to give a little bit of background, but really we wanted to ask you on because we just want to hear your story. You're both artists, our listeners, artistic people who are hobbyists, some are professional, others are just, you know, people that are just getting started. But we know that you are actually both professional artists at this point, but we want to hear your story. And. B and Molly both have artist studios next to each other in Asheville, North Carolina at the River Arts District, which is this really cool area where all these artists are down there. and so we'll hear a little bit more about that, but welcome to the show. And we really just wanted to start with asking you a few questions about your story. So Mama Judy, why don't you get us started?

Mama Judy:

You know, we might as well chronologically go with B. And Bea, you were the first artist, you were the first one to come along. So, have you always known you were an artist? Did you discover it along the way?

Bee:

Well, it's interesting, it was very hard for me to say, I'm an artist, for some reason. But I, growing up, just like Molly, I would draw and paint, and I was encouraged.

Mama Judy:

I,

Molly:

I loved it. And

Bee:

then when I went to college, I wanted to be a veterinarian, but I didn't. I went to a girl's school, which doesn't encourage veterinary, and then I went to, to University of North Carolina, and I majored in art education because I wanted to get a job when I finished college. And so, I taught art, I taught art to children from kindergartners through. The 8th, 7th, 8th grade. It was wonderful, and I loved seeing the way they just, there's no fear. They just jump in, throw themselves in their art. It's so free and fresh, so I loved it. and then I kind of painted and did things all along the way, and then Molly and I had a business about, uh, in Asheville, and we sold it. Because she had just had a baby and I had had cancer, and we wanted to paint. Molly was an art, she'll tell you this, an art major at Wake Forest. She always was great in art, loved it, always did well. Anyhow, so we sold our business and went right over here to paint. And so we just painted. Because that was our desire, our love, what we wanted to do. And, uh, I didn't know if I'd ever sell a thing. Who cares? You know, I wanted to pay. And so, lo and behold, we sold stuff. Well, I did. Well, I was shocked. And it's a wonderful lifestyle. It's a wonderful, creative, thing we can do. It's just, it's fabulous. We love it.

Mama Judy:

Cheryl, all along. When you first started your journey, one of the very first things that I picked up on your story is that when you were a young girl and you said you drew all the time and you painted that you were encouraged. And by that I'm assuming I meant by your parents and all the people around you. And the reason I'm going back and touching on this is we have an audience out there that often talk about how. They're not encouraged. And in fact,

Jill:

they're often, made

Mama Judy:

fun of. So can you talk a little bit about, as a young person, what that encouragement meant for you? Yeah,

Bee:

yes. it was wonderful. It was like patting a dog's head, you know. I loved it. And, for somebody to say, that's great, B, you know, what you're doing, we like what you're doing. In fact, I saved a painting, it's right over there, when I was probably 10, I did a painting of my dog. I still have it. And, I feel the exact same way now, painting, that I did when I painted that dog. It's a wonderful, free painting. exciting feeling. I loved it. Now,

Mama Judy:

I'm going to assume also then that when you taught, you were encouraging to all your pupils, and that in turn passed that freedom of creativity. Onto them. Wow. I

Bee:

never thought about that, but maybe so. You bet to me.

Molly:

And definitely to me,

Mama Judy:

I was just gonna say, and I'll bet it carried over too, and it sounds like almost like a perfect scenario in that. You were a young, budding artist, you were encouraged, you had no doubt, it just sort of came automatically, and you were able to, as a younger woman, make your living teaching others, encouraging them, and now you've come full practice. Back to that child that you were, because now that's what you get to do all the time. I want to do that. Nailed it. She nailed it. You really did. She has such a childlike exuberance about life and she is so encouraging to other people. she does have some students She has to limit it a little bit because she everybody would want to take from her. But, the students that she has, she's so encouraging. It's infectious. I mean, you want to be around her and hear her get excited about things. She has a very useful way of, Expressing her encouragement, you know, I always

Bee:

tell him you cannot make a mistake in art. Don't worry. Do it.

Mama Judy:

Yes. Mama Judy. Everybody needs to hear that.

Jill:

Well, and B's just touching on things when on other podcast episodes that we've aired, we've talked about letting your inner child out instead of getting stifled down into being a grownup and having to, you know, do your regular job or whatever. And then we talked about doing mistakes, like B's just saying these things that we all aspire to as creative people. And I love to hear that at this stage in your life, this season in your life that you are able to just. Really be like you said back when you were 10 years old painting that that's beautiful I wanna come and

Mama Judy:

be a student. Yes. What Now? I wanna come and be one of your students. Come on.

Bee:

When you come to Asheville, you come to my studio. We paint together. Oh,

Mama Judy:

I'll be there in a heartbeat. I wish you would. So, Molly, what an environment you were born into having your own private. Teacher.

Molly:

That's exactly right. Yeah. So one story that we love to tell people. So it's fun to have adjoining studios up here because we will meet folks in our own studios and then take them over and introduce them to, you know, our mom or daughter to each other. but one story that comes up a lot because people will often say to me, Oh, that's your mother. Well, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, or I guess, you inherited her talent or I guess, you know, it's in your blood. And so we get to say, well, actually I adopted and my birth mother wanted me to be in a Christian home that had artists. And so my mother and father were picked because my mother is an artist. My father's mother was an artist. And so with that combination and their faith, they were the ones that were chosen out of all the applicants for a baby that year. so that's why I was placed there. So I feel like I have a double blessing. Isn't that wonderful? You, it is! And

Mama Judy:

congratulations also to your birth mother and knowing the type of, having to have made a very difficult decision to have the

Molly:

forethought to put you

Mama Judy:

in the perfect environment.

Molly:

I have chill vibes up and down. Yes. I know,

Jill:

so do I. Oh, wow. Okay.

Mama Judy:

Okay.

Molly:

So here you are.

Jill:

I

Mama Judy:

mean, you're coming together as a family. Obviously was not a happenstance. It was a chosen family. And tell us what it felt like, Molly, when you were growing up with this very loving and very supportive artist. So well, influence your work.

Molly:

Yes, well, it is true. One of the first Well, when I first started writing my artist statement, I felt like I really needed to include that my mother is an artist because that truly is a part of my artist statement. That is my story of being an artist is that my mother is an artist. And as I was growing up, my birthday parties would be my mother teaching all the little girls at the birthday party how to make a clay animal or doing paper mache. Um, we would go and paint plein air, you know? And I mean, I'm so thankful, but I had a different growing up because of the things I was exposed to. and she was so cute. So she loved to say, um, cause she would look, she knew to teach this to kids. The children would paint, you know, a little tiny blue scribble of blue sky at the top. And so she would say, I want you to really look with your eyes because does the sky end at the top? No, the sky goes all the way down to the treetops. I want you to make sure that if you're drawing blue sky, that blue sky goes all the way down. So she really taught me to really look. She would say things like, let's look at the bark of that tree. Is it Brown? Is that all you see? Is it more than that? It might have other colors in it. What other colors do you see? So she, you know, it was a great place for me to grow up. And then she loved going to art museums too. So we together. Would go and just get very excited about seeing Matisse or Picasso or whoever we went to go look at so

Mama Judy:

that is fantastic.

Jill:

I have a question. So when you said when you were writing your artist statement, Molly, yes, for college. I wasn't sure what that meant. I just want to make sure. Okay,

Molly:

so. Often, well, for my website, or even when I'm entering a gallery, or if I have an art piece in a show, they'll ask you for an artist statement. And it's not exactly just your bio. So your bio will just say things you've done in the past, but your artist statement is what you are, a statement about what you are expressing in your art, who you are as an artist, the themes that you It's just more than that. They can be all very different.

Bee:

One other thing. Molly can write. Not only is she an artist, She can write. I'm telling you. I cannot write. I say the dog ran home. Molly can say it beautifully. And if I had an artist statement to make, I would say, Molly, help me. Help me with my artist statement. Help me write it. So she, she helps me all the time. All the time.

Jill:

I love that. Well, I wanted to ask you a question too, and part of this goes back to Bea mentioned earlier that you had thought about being a veterinarian. Yes. So what makes me think about this, and I know because you live in Asheville, where I live, and so I've seen your work, and our listeners, I will Put both of their websites so you can go work. you have very different styles and ways of creating. So I'm curious, B tell people a little bit about what you like to paint the best, and then Molly, you too, and you're going to hear a listeners, how very different they are and kind of how they come to their art. Yes,

Bee:

we are different in our styles. I, I think our. And your insides come out when you paint, like when I teach, I'll tell them, give them a demonstration. And then I say, when you paint, you will not paint like me, you will paint like you. So when I paint, it's part of me, you know, I just am free and loose and love what I'm doing. And I just, as I say, quote, this is not nice, upchuck on the canvas. That's not nice to say, but it just comes out. So that's. It's my style of painting and Molly's is, is totally different than mine. And

Jill:

tell the listeners a little bit about what you paint, because I know like, Oh, I think

Bee:

being, being a veterinarian won't be a lot of animals, absolutely love animals, love, love donkeys like mama duty. And I love cows. When I was growing up, there was a. Dairy farm behind my house where there was a, pasture and if the cows would lie down, I would go lie down with them. So I just had, I loved them. I love, you know, always loved animals. So I paint animals. If I'm going riding down the road and I see something like a old broken down house with a sofa on the front porch, that calls my name. I want to paint it. And I, if I ever go, when I go out of town, if I go to Europe, I take pictures everywhere I go. So not only the broken down houses, but the given that, you know, that you see in France just things that I see that my heart wants to paint. And when I tell my students that you, don't, I have all these photos of things that, where I go and whatever, if you don't think about that's too hard or that's too easy, let your heart tell you what you want to paint. And, and then you do it and it's easy. It's fun. So that's what I, I love to paint interiors. People's houses. Love that. Love to paint, landscapes. That kind of thing. So, that's great.

Jill:

Well, and, and, and just to the listeners also, both Bea and Molly are very, I don't know if prolific is the right word, but you'll, like, I could go to someone's house and you, you may see one of their paintings, people collect their paintings, they are very famous in our area, maybe all over the world. I don't know. We go to people's houses or up at the Grove Park Inn and, oh, there's Molly's painting and I'm at a friend's house, is that one of Bea Seberg's paintings? And so, it's fun to see them out there and the differences. So I wanted to know about the veterinary and how that kind of came in. So that's fun.

Molly:

I have to tell you, I think her animals are my favorites of all that she does. She knows cows. She knows donkeys. She knows goats. When she paints them, she captures something about those animals. I mean, you almost feel like you can feel the fuzzy lips on those cows. I mean, I love it. I

Bee:

like to make pigs. Oh, pigs. Oh, okay. Yes. Okay.

Mama Judy:

She captures the personalities it sounds like.

Molly:

Yes. For sure.

Jill:

Molly, tell us a little bit about your style and how you've come to that.

Molly:

Okay, well, I'm an abstract painter, so it's different than what she does, and we even approach it in completely different ways. When I went to school for art, they really wanted us to kind of search in our heart and discover our voice and what was it that we loved and, what style do we love and look at different artists? Um, all of that. And so when I was in college, which was, you know, a while ago, I loved organic form. So I would do things that were based on twigs or leaves or landscapes, trees, that kind of thing. but when I, I left it and came, went into floral design and other things. And then I came back to painting and. I knew I wanted to still paint abstract paintings. That's where my heart is. I love abstract. I feel like probably because of what my mother taught me all along the way is that you cannot make a mistake in art. I feel the most free with abstract because even though there are design rules and that sort of thing, I feel a freedom because I'm not having to make it look like something that somebody else is looking at. It's more about the feeling of it. I'm not as... confined. So I love abstract paintings. So I knew I wanted to discover my voice in a way that would be unique, but still be abstract. my favorite thing that I did in college was the, figure drawing classes where they would have the nude models. My favorite part of all of that was the one minute gesture poses. That was the warm up. And so we did get a giant, newsprint with charcoal and they would time the figure. And they would pose and we would have to capture something about the figure in space, the weight of it, very quickly and we weren't making it perfect in detail, but we were capturing something about that. And so what you ended up with were these great marks that. Really had a lot of life to them. They were energetic and, that mark making I found really exciting. So when I came back to abstract and I had a background then in floral design, I thought, what if I took that gestural mark making that I loved so much in college and I applied it to flowers and plants and leaves and that sort of thing. And I made gesture drawings. of flowers. And so that was where I got started and my style has evolved over the years, but that's really the most purely Mali type of artwork that I do would be the floral inspired gestural abstracts. Yes. Oh, wow.

Jill:

That's

Mama Judy:

a wonderful story.

Molly:

Okay. Yes.

Jill:

I'd love to see the progression like you, a lot of us, any of us, you know, we talk about, you can start somewhere and then move and change and that kind of stuff. And that's so interesting. I'd love to see some of your gestural type drawings from the past. I have lots of them. Oh,

Molly:

I bet you do. I have a house full of her paintings. I was going to say, you

Mama Judy:

have cows and pigs, she has gestural paintings.

Bee:

I'd rather have the beautiful abstract instead of cows and pigs.

Mama Judy:

You know, Molly, that was a perfect description of abstract. I'm with you. I love the freedom of abstract. Most people don't understand abstract in the respect that our brains want to identify something and put it in a category. And so abstract is often, I think the hardest thing. To not only capture, but also to explain to someone and you did an excellent job. In fact, I can see myself tomorrow morning. I'm going to get up and start with some gestural mark making.

Molly:

I love it.

Mama Judy:

And so if you each of you were to give. Someone who isn't a professional artist, but they just really want to develop their own creativity. What advice, what suggestions, what anything would you pass on to them? This'll, this'll come easier for Bea, probably, because she's been doing it as a teacher.

Molly:

And she's such a natural encourager.

Mama Judy:

And

Bee:

just do it. You know, if you want to paint or want to do art, do it. Period. Just do it. And have fun with it. There. Go.

Mama Judy:

Go. There

Molly:

you go. And so, Molly, feel like we get a lot of people who walk through. So our studios are open to the public and we have people walk through. we're closed during the beginning of the week and then Fridays and Saturdays we're open to the public and we have lots of people walk through and we often get people who love to paint, but that's not their profession. It's a hobby. Or they sure wish. painting more, or whatever their medium. and so they ask us, you know, questions. And one thing that I like to say is, if you really are serious about wanting to pick it back up and having it be a part of your routine, make sure your materials are out and ready to be grabbed and used, quickly, because I feel like, especially with painting and maybe with Other mediums too. I just happen to be a painter, but there's a lot of set up and if it's not already ready for you to grab and do, then once you get inspired, you're going to maybe lose it by setting it all up because that's a long process. So, yes,

Mama Judy:

yes. And what a luxury to be able to walk into your studios. Like you said, pick up those materials, turn around, walk out, shut the door. Not

Jill:

worrying about cleaning up,

Mama Judy:

putting it away. Oh, I love that. That's. So great.

Jill:

I have a question. Bea had mentioned that you take photographs. So a lot of the stuff that you might be inspired. You're inspired when you're out in the world and you take these photographs. And then you would use that to potentially like sit down and do a painting. Molly, what do you do when you're out? Like what, if you're just driving down the road or whatever, or when you go out for places to get inspiration. What, what might you share with our listeners that could inspire them?

Molly:

Yeah, I'm sad that I haven't brought this up before because it's a huge part of my work and what resonates with people. But, when I, well, so my, the things that I'm thinking about a lot and the things that excite me the most in life is learning more about my faith. So I've come from a Christian point of view. I love God's word and I feel like it's so rich and beautiful and. Encouraging. it feeds my soul in a way that a lot of things don't. But, when I read God's word, I, there's just to me, it's one of the most beautiful things. So when I'm, I guess, several years ago. I said, all right, Lord, my faith is important to me. My art is important to me. how can I have my art be something that would bring you glory? at that point I actually was painting little birds and nests and, little lady slipper orchids and things like that, because my mother and I were showing a little bit at the gardener's cottage. She shows there a lot now, but. back then I was thinking about that and then I thought I've got to turn into things that are more my, you know, the abstract and more my own, my own voice. But, I said, Lord, how would I use, you know, painting a little bird to your glory? And he just very sweetly whispered to my heart, trust me, I, I will show you the way. And just little bit by little bit, I started realizing, and this was something I learned in college too. They really, my professors. would want us to discover something about ourselves that we were exploring within the artwork. So whatever is the most important thing with you is going to come out in that artwork, and perhaps you can even solve some sort of a problem or explore that subject more by creating about it. And so I thought, well, what if my artwork is more about These spiritual themes and so what I'm tackling with or discovering more about could be these spiritual themes. So I'll start out and have them be gestural, floral, but The end part is that I really am hoping to express something about the beauty of God and the beauty of God's Word, some sort of quality. I don't feel that I am able to do that, but I know God's Word has power, and so each of my pieces is associated with a different Bible verse. so I will paint something, and it will be a very intuitive type of painting, not Meant to be something or about something, but at the end. I will look at it and I'll say, I know what this is about. This is about his, the strength that, that God gives us. And I'm going to name it after Isaiah 41, or, you know, it's just, wow, Lord, look how this has turned out to be like, you're holding us in your hands, you know, and then I can find. All these different passages in the Bible that talks about he's holding us with his righteous right hand. He has us held by his hand that we are in our signature is, engraved in his hand. So it allows me to learn more about God's word that I find so beautiful and exciting. and then I'm putting it out there in the world. Not only is it important to me, but I'm putting it out there and people will come in and see it. And they'll say, that speaks to me. In this particular way, in a way that was not even what I might have intended, so it becomes about more than just my control. I love that too, where it's not a forced type of thing. Like, I want you to learn this, or this is my message for you. It's, it's a much more broad thing. anyway, that's exciting to me. That's really exciting. We can

Jill:

tell, and that's wonderful. That's,

Molly:

that excitement, that passion. I tend to get so excited I don't even breathe.

Jill:

Breathe, breathe,

Mama Judy:

Molly, breathe. You know, I noticed both of you, although your styles are different, Your stories are a little bit different. You both use the word, we listen to our heart. And I think that's so important for anybody in their creativity because it's so easy to let our head get in the way. Oh, yeah. When our head gets in the way is when the criticism creeps in. So, I love the fact that you both, coming from your two different perspectives, Listen to your heart, to your intuition, because that's where it comes, that's where your authentic self comes from. And that's why your styles are different.

Molly:

Right, we're different people. We're going to have different, different styles. And gosh, the River Arts District has 230 artists and you walk to each one and they can all be beautiful and all be completely different. Yeah. It's fascinating. Amazing. Isn't it? It is wonderful. You know,

Mama Judy:

I did, one more comment. I did think as you were describing your abstract, I thought, I'll bet when mom took her for those walks and said, Let's look at this pre bark all played into that because when you then are looking at something like that, you're looking at the abstract pattern in nature. So you had a grounding in that abstract even way back then when mom would take you on those, let's go look

Molly:

walks. Absolutely. Oh yeah. She, she really encouraged Seeing and yes, I mean, having your eyes really look and see it's not a, intellectual understanding of what you're looking at. It's what do my eyes actually see? Does that make sense? It is, it's,

Mama Judy:

yeah, emotional understanding is what she wasn't sounds like, and B you, would be able to speak more to what your intent was, but it sounds like getting people to have an emotional understanding of something, not just again, like Molly said. Looking through our eyes and our

Jill:

brains. Yes. But also, part of it too, you have to see, like, when you said the example about the blue skies not just at the top, I'm so glad you said that, because I think if I went and drew a picture right now, I'd probably do the little, little blue strip, and then there'd be white on the page, and then the tree, you know, and so, I think that's so interesting that that's not how it looks. Right. It is emotional, but in a way, it's also like it's the reality,

Molly:

right? It's like, well, even more literal is even what she means. So if I were to hold my hand up here and I was going to draw, you know, what's in my screen right now, my, my finger looks really big now. Intellectually. I know that my finger is. Is not bigger than my face, but look at. But if I were, look, I would see that my finger. Wow, that's a very big finger. So if I were to draw it correctly, you know mm-hmm. that's what you would do. Yeah. So that's how she explained like, we're not, it's not our understanding, it's. We're what we're really seeing, you know, that's really good.

Jill:

And if anyone's just listening to the podcast, go to our YouTube page and I'm actually going to put the timestamp on when you talk about that, because when you just put your finger up, that was such a great illustration of what that would be. Yeah.

Mama Judy:

Loved

Jill:

it. Perfect. Well, I just love you both. I love your art. And it was, I just wanted to, Mama Judy, and I wanted to hear your story. I love the story about how you ended up in each other's lives. Yes.

Mama Judy:

It's a beautiful story. Oh, it's just

Bee:

fabulous. It's wonderful. It's a God story, we say.

Molly:

And just for out of curiosity's sake, I have been listening to your podcast, but I haven't gone all the way back to the beginning. And how long have you all been Mama Judy and Jill? 30 some years. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. Really? Yep. I had a feeling it's been a long time, so I feel like I can sense. how you all have influenced each other.

Jill:

And I want to say something interesting too about this because you, Molly and Bea have been in each other's lives for Molly, all of Molly's life. I've had Mama Judy, I've been blessed to have her in my life for 33, five years, something like that. She and my dad started dating when I was in college, but that's when she came into my life. Mama Judy has been an artist, artistic her whole life It's been very important part of her life. Whereas me, not as much, but seeing how you two have influenced each other as mother and daughter, I feel like even just more over the last year, finally sort of just really tuned in. I've always appreciated mama Judy and her art and just who she is, but I've really tuned into deciding not to be afraid to be creative myself. And. Allowing our relationship to, encourage me like you all have, and it's amazing. I just can't believe how lucky we all four are. It's just

Molly:

amazing. We really are. And it's the same situation. It's wonderful. Have a close relationship where you can... well, I'm so thankful that she's right next to me. but you all, it's just beautiful that you can have this shared podcast, these shared scripts. it's beautiful. I love it. I love it. I do too. I do too. Are so important. Our families are just, I know, I'd like to have a group hug. There you

Jill:

go. Group hug. Well, and I think it's also important to mention because there are also a lot of listeners to that don't have that in their lives. They don't have an encouraging mom figure and my birth mom who died, you know, several years ago, wasn't discouraging about my art, but she just wasn't an artistic person herself like mom. So it's just, you know, I didn't have that growing up so much, but a lot of people are actually discouraged by their parents in some ways. And so. Yeah. I also hope this podcast can be an inspiration for people like that. And a lot of people want to say they want to adopt Mama Judy. So we just say, Mama Judy's available, let her be your encouragement. And now

Molly:

I hear the same thing. Oh yes. I hear the same thing, how, how they would love to have my mother adopt, adopt them. So yes.

Bee:

Oh,

Molly:

my God. One more thing. Oh, shoot. It might have just left my brain. Um, okay. I can't remember.

Jill:

Well, Mama Judy and I have our senior moments all the time, so it might come to wrap up. I'm gonna need everything that to end us up. And Molly, if it comes to you, tell us. No,

Mama Judy:

this was wonderful. listening to your stories were wonderful, but you also helped us in our podcast, not just telling your story, but whether you realize it or not, you've touched on many of the things that our previous podcast episodes have touched on. And I've been sitting here listening, going, Oh, that's. So cool. She just mentioned that. Oh, that's so great.

Molly:

There are some great themes in the life of an artist.

Mama Judy:

Yes, very true. And they are their universal life things. And I think when Jill and I started this, what we wanted to do was talk about the universal life things that intersect with the creative act and art, because art is really. about life and interpreting life in your own way. So I hope that our listeners who haven't got the benefit of the YouTube yet. We'll understand that all of these themes, the, encouragement, the hesitation, the whatever you touched on, they're all universal themes. They don't just belong to the four of us. They belong to everybody. And you know what, if there's somebody out there that needs encouraging, we now can turn Be Loose

Molly:

on them.

Bee:

That's right. Oh my gosh.

Molly:

Well, and that's so, I'm not meaning to, I know you all were wrapping it up, so I'm sorry to interject this, but since you're talking about your listeners and how to encourage them if they're looking for ways to get more feedback or whatever it might be. or even just positive encouragement. one thing that I think is really helpful is to go to workshops where there are other artists who are learning. we still go to workshops at times. because you never stop learning. I feel like you really get to meet. An interesting group of people who are also trying to learn these skills or even just the To start being more in into the practice of it. you get to experience that teacher and what they have to teach you. that's one thing. there are just groups of artists that are dying to, not dying to be, but there are groups of artists that are really interested in meeting other artists who would love the feedback and the encouragement. One of the first. closer groups that I was involved with here in Asheville was a critique group that one of the artists started because she knew that she wanted feedback. and those folks, a lot of them are still some of my best artist friends. And if I had questions that I'd still go to them, and that was probably 15 years ago at this point, and they're not a part of my day to day life, but. I sure do have a lot of respect for them. Mom, you came to some of those critiques, didn't you? Yeah, can I say one more

Bee:

thing? Yeah, sure. About critique, if I'm, I'm painting a, you know, she's right next door. I get to a certain point in a painting, I say, Molly, come over here, critique this painting. And she'll say, Hmm, I love it. She just did that for that one. Thank goodness. Most of the time she'll say, Well, if you do X, Y, and Z maybe over to the right hand corner and do something over here at the bottom. So whatever she says, I trust her totally. I go do. In

Molly:

that right? Well, well, I think you, you learn people that will give good like. feedback that's helpful and people that will give feedback that's not as helpful. And so she has found that I feedback might be helpful for her. It's interesting because we can hear feed different feedback from different artists. I think you have to pick and choose who you want to listen to. You do.

Mama Judy:

And, you know, trust is a big part of receiving feedback, because if you don't trust that person, you can get yourself wounded very easily. And it's nice that you both trust each other in receiving that feedback. But your words are so true, Molly. I mean, there are so many groups out there of like minded people that Even if you're starting and you're a little hesitant, you can Maybe make that your goal to join a group or whatever to strengthen your ability to receive that feedback.

Bee:

Well, we learn from everybody. You learn from each other, not just the teacher. You learn from everybody.

Jill:

Molly, you just mentioned in person workshops, but even an online workshop, So if you have an opportunity to do that as well, it's not in person, but we got on zoom a few times together and would see each other's faces. And that was good too. But what were you going to say, Molly?

Molly:

Yes. Oh, I was just going to mention it sure helps with accountability. If I know that I've got a group that's going to be looking at my artwork, by golly, I'll get it finished faster, you know, and it's a good kick in the pants. I know for me, I really need, deadlines. If somebody says, take all the time in the world to finish this painting, I might take a whole lot longer. If they said, I'm coming back to Asheville to pick it up in September, I'm going to be faster in getting it finished, you know, so I need deadlines. I love having accountability groups. So all of that is really helpful.

Mama Judy:

There they go again, talking about something we've talked about before, which was having an accountability

Jill:

partner. Yeah, I think it's helpful and it's encouraging to hear people to professional artists. Mama Judy. Yes, I do. So she said that you all are all at a different level than I am, but you two are professional artists. So to hear that you people also saying that is very encouraging to other people like, oh, yes, it's not just a walk in the park when you get to the level where you are. Well, anything else you want to add, ladies? Any words of wisdom or anything you would like to say before we sign off?

Molly:

Thank you, this is so much fun! It was! It's a great change for us! Thank you! Really different, so thank you so much! Well, and I think

Jill:

what we might have to do is when Momma Judy comes for a visit in Asheville, we'll come down to your studio. You promise? Yes!

Molly:

Oh, I can't

Jill:

wait!

Mama Judy:

Sounds great. Come

Bee:

soon. Okay.

Molly:

We

Jill:

appreciate you and listeners. Thank you for joining us today. And I will for sure put links to both of their websites. I'm going to include some pictures as well, on the show notes page and so that you can find some of their art and we just appreciate you ladies spending some time with us

Molly:

today. Oh, I love it very much. So much.

Jill:

Okay. Bye.

Molly:

Bye. Bye. Everyone.