ALTON - For Brittany Blechle, creating art is “more easy on [her] heart” than almost anything else.
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Blechle serves as December’s Artist of the Month at Milton Schoolhouse. Her nature paintings and drawings are on display at Milton and available for sale. Self-described as “kind of shy,” Blechle admits that it’s a bit nerve-wracking to share her art — but she’s proud of herself for doing so, and her loved ones are rooting her on.
“I just wanted to put myself out there in a way that I haven’t done before because I am kind of shy, so it is a bit hard,” Blechle shared. “But I wanted to try to be different, to grow into more of the person that I want to be instead of just thinking about it.”
Blechle has been passionate about art since she was a child. She used to draw constantly, even using her own skin as a canvas. (Today, she has a Studio Ghibli-inspired tattoo that she designed, which scratches the same itch.)
Her family was quick to encourage her. When they go on nature walks, Blechle often pauses to take pictures or sketch some of the plants she encounters. Her family loves to see the finished products she creates.
“My family, from a young age, encouraged me to lean into my artistic side,” she remembered. “I’m very grateful for them.”
Blechle’s art mostly focuses on flowers. She enjoys drawing and painting animals, as well, and is currently working on a painting for her older sister of an owl in the forest. Most of her work is inspired by the walks she takes around Alton and surrounding rural communities.
“Inspiration can strike me wherever I am, to be fair. I just really like nature,” she explained. “I like the way that plants look in the sun, and I also like the fact that they can be so different.”
The decision to submit her art for consideration at Milton was not an easy one. Blechle said that she “normally keep[s] all this stuff” close to her chest, sharing her work with her family and friends but rarely putting it on display.
But her family, once again, supported her. With their encouragement, she decided to send her art out into the world.
“It’s just a wonderful thing to have your family be there and push you into being something that you may not be comfortable with but is a part of you,” she said. “I do love the fact that they believe in me.”
And since then, it’s been “great” to see people resonate with her work. Blechle “never thought” anyone would buy her art, but she has already sold a few paintings and plans to continue sharing her art even after the display at Milton ends. She wants to push herself to do more, including tackling a few subjects that are more difficult for her to paint, and gifting her art to loved ones.
Blechle is proud of herself for the effort she is making to put herself out there and share her work with others. Her art is growing, too, and she can’t wait to see what happens next in her artistic career. It’s important to her to continue to create with heart.
“Especially with everything that’s happening with AI and all of that, we really need that human touch,” she added. “I just want the world to know that art sure can be a wide spectrum, but whenever it’s created for an intended purpose, I feel like it means a lot more, especially if it was handmade with thought and love.”
For more information about Blechle and to keep up with her art, visit her official Instagram profile.
