Meet Paulette Carr | Artist, Instructor, Curator, and Gallery Owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Paulette Carr and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Paulette, is your business focused on helping the community? If so, how?
As an art gallery, working studio and classroom space, we impace the world in the following ways:

1. We help give artists an avenue to get their art “out of their basements” and into the light and view of the community. By doing so, we start to change the essence and tone of our community. A community with out art has no color and becomes stagnant and gray. With art, we bring light and expression to places that do have it or do not know how to express themselves with art.

We add credibility to businesses by sharing art in their offices, store fronts, etc. If you went into a financial planner and they had no art, nothing on their walls? Would you invest your money with them? By the same token, if they have mass produced art and you see what you purchased on the clearance rack at a retail store on their walls… you wonder about their stability as well. By having original art in their business, you know they have carefully curated the voice of their business, they are there to stay. They have supported local artists’ businesses (hopefully) and therefore are worthy of handling your investments.

2. By working live in our studios, we represent that we are a part of the community as well. We take the curtains down to the woman behind the art. You start to get to know us and how we create and our thought processes. We take the secrecy out of creating the art.

3. By sharing with the world, our time, talents and treasures with classes, we encourage a wider range of art in the community and wider world. We teach skills and encourage individual voices to promote artistic growth. We believe that the creative process expresses emotions, not just for the creator, but for those viewing the art who may not be able to express the emotion themselves. They see it identified within the art.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My art tends to be impressionistic and a bit experimental at times. I paint with acrylics primarily, but if I hit a “dry spell”, I will break out the watercolors, oils, pastels, or even the crafts! My studio can more more of a laboratory at times and you never know what might be on the workbench.

I love to chase the light, so the majority of my works are landscapes, but you never know when a still life or abstract will sneak in. An experimental process with art, has become a norm for me. I love to learn a new technique and learn about the properties of the mediums I use.

As with most artists, I struggled to see value in my own voice. While I appreciated the art of others greatly, I didn’t always value my own as credible. It lacked “their voice”. It wasn’t until an artist in New Mexico, David Barens, explained that value of my own voice to me, not the description of it in my works, but the value of ALL artistic voices being different, did I start to realize I am not supposed to paint like other artists. It was then, I became more comfortable in my own voice and expression. After this, I could help others understand the value in their voice, not just artistically, but in the corporate environment and this led to team building training as well. Art moves everywhere!!!

If you don’t think it is Brave Art to promote your own art in front of a group, when you are an introvert, I think you may have missed the point of all this in our name. Brave Art came about as I filled in for a friend who got sick 2 hours before a class when I had never taught a class before. I found myself, with 2 hours notice, coming up with not only materials. but a class structure, idea for a painting, and setting up a payment method in that time. I still feel like that was one of the bravest things I have done, and that is where Brave Art came from!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
West Michigan has so much to offer. We live in Holland, so there is Windmill Island, microbreweries, eateries everywhere. Our business is just north of the City of Allegan. So we would take friends and family downtown. Of course, Tantrick Brewing on the beautiful waterfront would be a first choice. Great, unique food, but the brews are awesome. While I am not a beer drinker, Tim is. I love their recent Blood Orange Cider, so there is something for everyone. During the summer, we visit the Sodi (Social District) Shop while enjoying Rollin’ On The River, great local bands on the stage at the Riverfront.

If we have artist friends in town, we bring them to the gallery of course, but then it could be plein air painting downtown too. If you are an arcade enthusiast, there is Tilt 118. An arcade and eatery. Lots of fun for all members of the family. Heronmark for a char Cuterie Board and wine… so much more….

A hike at the Milbocher-Armintrout Preserve or kayak out on the Riverfront is always a fun respite from life!

Let’s not forget the boutique shopping at Eccentric Garden, Sassy Olive, Allegan Floral, Hathaway Cottage, and sooo much more.

While our downtown is experiencing some growing pains with street renovations, it is truly worth a visit and after this is down, I believe Allegan will the destination here! I would invite you all to experience now before the crowds descend!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Shout out to my husband, Tim Carr, who not only encouraged me to follow this dream, stepped into the malestrum with me of not just starting a business, but doing extensive renovations to a building so we could open our doors in the midst of a once in 100 years pandemic. He stands beside me, the introvert, and steps into the gaps where, I don’t feel comfortable.

Because he always pushes me to be more, I do. I hate speaking in public, and yet, he stands right there, with a gentle nudge for me to do just that. Because of that belief in me, I have addressed groups on subjects from The Art of Selling Art Shamelessly to The Value of Art in the Community. We started an art organization in an underserved town as co-directors, I am on a few art boards and curate a non-profit gallery in an other town, and all because he said… “you can do it”.

Website: braveart.art

Linkedin: linkedin.com/company/brave-art-studios-and-gallery

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BraveArtStudiosandGallery