Meet Beverly Holtzem | Painter/illustrator

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

Hi Beverly, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
It’s something that I’ve had a desire for since I was a little girl. When I was in kindergarten, I was asked what I wanted to be when I grew up, I drew a picture of myself as an artist. This originally came to fruition after I graduated high school, I went to culinary arts school for pastry, and decorated wedding cakes as a career. Later on, painting worked it’s way back into my life. I’ve always been the artsy one, when I was little it was painting cow print on my nails, baking and decorating cakes, doing DIY projects to our house, and now painting and drawing. My grandpa was a painter, my grandma was a crafter and my mom was always sewing and baking, so being creative was naturally very heavy in my life growing up.

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 has changed so much over the last 10 years. I really got back into art after having a baby girl and wanting to illustrate a book for her. You can literally see my drawing get better throughout the book. It’s embarrassing for me to share with people now, but I’m proud of completing that project because it led me to pursuing art more as a career. Since I started doing art again with a newborn, I’ve always had the challenge of trying to balance my time. It’s definitely been the hardest part of my journey. I learned to use every free moment I had to continue getting better at my art. Which meant late nights, early mornings and nap times were my drawing times. My art will vary based on the project. I love illustrating book covers and children’s books, telling a story with pictures is so fun. I usually illustrate digitally. When I’m painting in acrylic, I like to have characters as well, like fun puppy dogs or bees, but definitely more on the anthropomorphic side. I also enjoy more fine art subjects, like flowers and food. A lesson I have learned over time is that progress is slow, and often times not even noticeable. People need to know that. It’s not quick, and you need to be consistent. Every once and a while, you will make something, and impress yourself, and you get a little bit of encouragement to keep going a bit longer. Repeat that forever.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
We love to drive, that means going up to Lafayette to visit Cottonwood farms pumpkin patch because it has that “small town feel”, with fresh pressed cider and a hay ride. we enjoy going up to Breck for a ride on the gondola up the mountain for spectacular views. Getting coffee at Kunjani in Parker is a must, a great place to get some work done too because of their cozy fireplace. Going apple picking at Happy Apple Farm in Penrose is a family favorite, with fantastic views on the way. Then one of the many farmers markets around, like on Mainstreet in Parker or at Southlands. We love getting some fresh produce and treats for the kids and letting them play at the splash pads. Being the Christmas lover that I am, I’d also suggest taking a trip to St. Nicks Christmas and Collectibles in Littleton, it’s the biggest Christmas store west of the Mississippi.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My husband Chris has always supported me, every time I have some wacky business idea, he’s always there to bring me to reality if it’s something ridiculous or tell me to go for it because he truly believes I can accomplish anything I set my mind to. I also have to give God the glory, I do everything in my life to the best of my ability, and I don’t do it for people. Colossians 3:23-24 says, “And whatever you do, do it heartily, as the the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.”

Website: https://Ourwholesomehouse.com

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