Bea Rosenleaf of BRosenleaf Art was on a road trip from her home state of Montana, and made sure to stop by Artisan Colour (our parent company) in Scottsdale, Arizona for a print shop tour with Mike at ArtisanHD. We really enjoyed seeing her face-to-face, and showing her new products she can use to print and display her art photography!

An ArtisanHD Print Shop Tour

Bea Rosenleaf art photographyCan you tell us a bit about your experience using ArtisanHD? 

I’ve had canvas, metal, acrylic and traditional prints printed. I am blown away by the quality, color, and the customer care. I think I have to say the Dibond metal prints are my very favorite.

My plans are to work in partnership with Artisan HD for all my mixed media work I plan to start creating this year. I feel of all the printing houses I’ve dealt with, ArtisanHD is the only one in tune to adding mixed media techniques to prints and creating beyond the photograph or print.

What did you enjoy most about your printshop tour?

Meeting all of you! I have to say I was quite surprised by the size of the place. I wasn’t expecting that! And I was surprised that you often do your own photo shoots for products and creating catalogs and media for some of the big-name corporations around the country. Seeing the printers and how the canvases are made (frames made locally impressed me) was a treat. I think I’m most intrigued about the 3-D capabilities and am looking forward to trying out some ideas using this concept. I appreciated being able to actually see all the different media you use to print on. Getting acquainted with the materials helps in determining what would work best for a certain print.

I could tell that quality and the customer is really important to ArtisanHD. I enjoyed the afternoon and your hospitality so much.

 

Would you describe yourself as a photographer, digital media artist, or something else? How have these art photography skills helped you on your path?

Today, I describe myself simply as a photographer and artist. I feel that photography is an art form in and of itself, but I love taking my photographs and pushing them further yet into another realm of art – whether that be through digital media or hands-on mixed media.

I think my years of creating, whether it was through the use of pencils, charcoal, paint, rubber stamps or fabrics, has given me the curiosity, inspiration and drive to push further and see what more I can do to create more from a photograph.

BRosenleaf Art Photography

How did you get started as a visual/digital artist?

It’s been a journey of many twists and turns! Both of my parents were very creative. My father painted with watercolors, and my mother painted with oils, so I grew up in an artistic environment. Growing up I was introduced to many different types of art forms, everything from drawing to ceramics to sewing and painting. As an adult, my serious creative journey did not start until about 2001 after I retired as a Human Resources Specialist. I was a rubber stamper creating greeting cards, handmade books, mixed media art pieces, and teaching those skills through both in-person workshops and online.

When I worked a summer in Yellowstone National Park, I attended a Kodak workshop and became hooked on photography. My first digital camera was purchased in 2002 (a tiny 3-megapixel Nikon Coolpix) when I worked a summer in Alaska, and I haven’t looked back. I now own a full-frame Canon digital camera with a whole collection of lenses, and am constantly looking for new and creative ways to photograph a subject.

Four years ago I was introduced to Sebastian Michaels’ Photoshop Artistry course. At the time I was looking for something more to do with my pictures. I was bored… there are just so many landscape pictures out there and they all began to look alike. I wanted something different. When I saw Sebastian’s advertisement regarding pushing photography further and the realm of Photoshop grunge, I was intrigued. What was this grunge business? I quickly found out, and, well, here I am! And now, I’m pushing myself more, learning how to take all this a bit further into the hands-on mixed media world using resin and encaustic wax. This new path I’m about to begin is exciting and a little daunting.

What/Who is your biggest inspiration?

Oh my, I would say there is more than one person that truly inspires me! Several old masters artists: Van Gogh, Monet, and Cezanne; mixed media artist, Emily Randolph; photographers: Henri Cartier-Bresson, Ansel Adams, Ben Willmore, Ian Shive and Kathleen Clemons; photographer-digital artist-teacher, Sebastian Michaels.

As for the what, that’s easy, anything in nature.

You can view more of Bea’s art photography on her online portfolio.


To print your own art photography, visit ArtisanHD to easily upload and print with a number of materials, sizes, and mounting styles.

And if you’re ever in the Phoenix area, please let us know if you’d like to stop by for a tour of our print shop (usually available Monday-Friday, 9-4)! We’d love to discuss your art in person.