Meet Dawn Newbern | Artist/Textile Designer

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

Hi Dawn, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
Twenty-five years ago as my husband and I were working intensely in our careers, in a larger population city, with our six month old baby boy, we decided to make some drastic life changes and move to a very small town in southern Georgia. We longed to enjoy a simpler laid-back lifestyle and also wanted to pursue my husband’s dreams. I left my full-time career of a Dental Hygienist and began working very part-time so that I could “raise” our precious boy at home. At that time, I became interested in painting and began painting glassware for a few local and regional gift shoppes. That lead to many more opportunities in the art world. So, starting my own art business began as a way of supplementing our little family’s income and over the years has become a lucrative and fulfilling career that has exceeded my expectations.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
My first “canvas”, so to speak, was glassware. After hand-washing, painting, baking, and distributing thousands of pieces, I gladly traded in the glassware trend and began working with artist’s canvas and murals. While in this stage, the majority of my artwork was custom and commission-based work. Basically, I painted what my client’s wanted me to….for many years. For this reason, I’ve struggled through the years thinking that I didn’t have my own style/colors, etc., but I am grateful that I was able to build my artistic muscles by producing things that I never would have other wise. There were times that I would literally cry while painting something that I thought looked atrocious, but it’s what the customer wanted and I felt like I must finish it. For instance, one sweet lady wanted red chili peppers and sunflowers (TOGETHER) on her glassware. I almost didn’t make it through. Ha.

I do believe that over the past decade my brand has found a very happy place. In my gallery and at art shows, the word most used to describe my artwork is “happy”. I usually respond with “mission accomplished”. I love using very vivid colors in my work. I’ve learned to begin my abstract pieces with a very intuitive approach and see what evolves from the marks. It’s also very rewarding to incorporate my personally designed wallpapers and fabrics back into many of the pieces to give more visual surprises.

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.
Well, I am definitely on the outskirts of the city, being on St. Simons Island. When friends visit, we almost always take them to one of our many favorite restaurants or maybe we’ll sit by the fire pit and roast oysters. There’s always a visit to my favorite art spot, Julep Gallery. If they love fishing or the beach, bike riding or shopping, there’s an abundance of exciting places to enjoy.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My husband, Chris, has always cheered me on and helped me push past my comfort levels to achieve what I thought was impossible.

Website: https://www.dawnnewbernart.com

Instagram: @seafoamstudio

Youtube: https://youtube.com/@dawnnewbern