Today we’d like to introduce you to Kelly Best Bourgeois.
Hi Kelly Best, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I began painting as a child and selling paintings in high school. Due to the sometimes difficult and uncertain future as an artist, my parents had always encouraged me to pursue what they considered a more professional degree, and following in my father’s footsteps, I attended medical school and became a physician. My chosen speciality was anesthesiology which can be very creative in its own ways. However, my love of painting never went away and between raising a family and practicing medicine, I attended art classes and workshops. In February 2020, right before the pandemic, I left the practice of medicine to paint full time.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I think any endeavor as an entrepreneur has its challenges, and being an artist is no exception. With a career in medicine, there are certain prescribed paths, no pun intended, but in art, each artist creates their own path. This is liberating yet challenging in its own way. Since being an painter and creating artwork is for most artists a labor of love, the challenges I find in exhibiting and selling work are more easily overcome, and the perseverance needed to continue creating is simply another day of work that brings me joy. The business side of art is something many artists would rather not deal with, but the income generated from a creative profession is what allows us to continue creating and to share our work with a wider audience.
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?
Growing up in Corpus Christi, along the Texas Gulf Coast, my love of nature has always been an inspiration for my paintings. I also integrate my background in science into my art, whether it is from a conservation point of view or a physics of light point of view. Sharing the beauty of our natural world helps others understand and engage with it in ways they otherwise might not. I love to paint en plein air, outdoors and on site, to capture the fleeting moments in a place and time that will never be the same again. The time spent hiking and painting outdoors then becomes my inspiration for larger studio oil paintings. While there are many plein air painters, each artist has a unique approach, a different brushstroke, and a different way of viewing the world around them. My emphasis as an artist is on our Earth being the common thread that binds all life as we know it together.
Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
I think the best advice for finding a mentor is to search out others in your field whom you admire, both for their work and their approaches to life in general. In art, that often means taking classes and workshops. Work in any field is a combination of so many factors and problem solving skills. As I learned in medicine, there are many approaches to making a diagnosis and solving a problem. As our fund of knowledge grows, it is important to take the skills you learned from those you admire and integrate what works best for you in your own practice. This makes for individual and creative thinking and shows in your own unique style and approach. As far as networking, show up, meet deadlines, engage, and be part of the community in a genuine and caring way by supporting others in your field, sharing the knowledge you have gained from your mentors, and continuing to learn from those around you.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.bestbourgeoisart.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bestbourg_studio/
