hi there!
My name is Briley (Joy!) Barnes.
I never quite know what to mention in simple introductions--but I like coffee, the color green, old books, aspen trees, wood floors, the movie Robin Hood (the 1973 animated classic), muffins. Oh--And I am creative--extremely, helplessly creative.
When I mention that I am an artist, people then always ask the follow up--"Oh! What do you do?" Painting? Photography? Teaching? Ceramics?
My answer, is simply "YES." If it's creative, there's a good chance I do it.
And BrileyJoyCreative is the way that I get to share all of the things that I do with you. Think of it as being looped into my creative process!
So please--make yourself at home and enjoy exploring all the different corners of my creative practice--even if that just means browsing around the gallery! The plan is eventually to have all the different creative services I offer linked here, and I'm slowly updating to make that happen. By the time it's all said and done, I'll have links for portrait photography sessions, art classes, paint parties, a shop, and more! If you're interested in any of these things (or even something not listed) in the meantime, please don't hesitate to reach out below. I'm here to help you bring your creative project to life!
My Story
My story begins with Jesus. Period. Everything else flows from that. My freshman year of college, after spending years in a dark spot, I had a dorm-room-floor encounter with Jesus that changed everything about my life. I dug back to my Christian faith and slowly rebuilt my life with Christ as the cornerstone. The gospel slowly brought healing to every facet of my life, and art was no exception. I soon found that God was opening doors for me to create again. And I dove back into painting, photography, and writing as ways of circling the beauty that the Holy Spirit was flooding into my life. I didn’t know at the time where it would lead, but as the years went on, opportunities continued to show up--and I decided to make creating something that I do–-A LOT.
Fast forward to now–where I’ve started BrileyJoyCreative to connect people to my art. I believe in the power of creativity because I know beauty has the ability to draw people into a “thin space”-- where the line between heaven and earth draws thin and the goodness of the LORD can be tasted and seen. This can happen in big ways like witnessing a beautiful piece of art or in a small ways like making a craft with a friend. So whether you're looking into taking a class, booking a photography session, or just poking around--I'm glad you're here! I hope you feel inspired to incorporate a little more creativity into your life!
"Taste and see that the Lord is good;
blessed is the one who takes refuge in him."
let's get in touch!
I'm still working to get pages uploaded to this website. (Using Wix is hard!) Right now I'm missing 1. Photography 2. Private Lessons 3. Print Shop 4. Paint Parties. If you're interested in any of these things (or a similar creative endeavor) in the meantime--please reach out! Shoot me an email; I'd love to hear from ya!
The one thing I am more selective about is that I don't take most commissions. They take time away from valuable hours in the studio and my process is very slow, so they usually add up to (to quote Napoleon Dynamite) "like a dollar an hour". That said, if you have something that seems in my vein of style and are willing to pay minimum wage lol please reach out!
