Today we’d like to introduce you to Ana Beij
Hi Ana, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I had a humble upbringing; born in a small town in Southern Brazil. Since I was a kid I always dreamt of traveling the world and exploring other places and cultures. I’ve always been a maker and a creative. I learnt how to draw from my dad, who was very good at graphite drawings, specially portraits.
I came to the USA when I was in my early 20s and fell in love with the country. I took classes to perfect my English, and also studied drawing and graphic design.
I worked leading paint and sip events in San Francisco for some time, and soon after I started my own painting events company called Flow Arts, working with multiple companies in Silicon Valley, organizing artsy team building events.
After the pandemic was over, my husband and I traveled the world for a year and a half, exploring more than 20 countries, fulfilling my lifelong dream of traveling. When our explorations were done, we relocated from the Bay Area to Austin. We’re loving the city and I’m especially grateful for all the resources for artists that the city provides.
Now I’m fully dedicated to my art career, making art full-time right from my home, where my art studio is located.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The road is never smooth! There are always obstacles that we need to bypass. I think that struggles are expected in anybody’s journey, and mine hasn’t been different.
Currently, the obstacle that I’ve been working to conquer is getting my art out there and making my name known as an artist. Even though my whole life has always revolved around art and creativity, this is the first time that I fully dedicate my career to my own artistic endeavors, creating art daily.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
My work is strongly inspired by the natural beauty of the places that I explore during my travels. I work with acrylic paintings and I love including texture or 3D features in some of my work.
I’m very proud of the series of work that I created inspired by the island of Bali, in Indonesia, which was the last stop of my yearlong world travel. I spent about two months in isolation in Ubud creating this series. The paintings were all created using a “stamping” technique, which consisted in collecting multiple types of leaves from different environments around the island, painting them and pressing them against the canvas, creating a print with all the veins and details of the leaf.
The result was a composition that is a testament to the beauty and inspiration that I felt while creating in Bali.
Then, I got to exhibit my work at a solo show in Ubud to the people attending the Ubud Writers and Readers Festival. It was a surreal experience that I’m very proud of.
Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
Being an introvert, I’ve had a quiet demeanor since I was a child. I always enjoyed making things, from clothes for my dolls, painting murals in my bedroom walls, or writing poetry and short stories and posting them on my blog, I was constantly in creative mode.
Because of the place where I grew up, which was a rural place, I always enjoyed being outside in nature, and used to go hiking with my friends through the woods without adult supervision. My childhood was free and wholesome, and I learned early to appreciate the simple things in life.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.anabeij.com
- Instagram: @anabeij.art
