Bailey Verlee,

Belly Paints was never an accident because I’ve always been an artist in one form or another. But in my senior year of college, I picked up a brush at a friend’s house and born was the moment where something I already felt was a part of me came into form. Creativity has been part of me for as long as I can remember; I was one of those girls who rearranged her bedroom furniture for fun, and began thrifting at Goodwill as soon as I had a license.

My grandma Bertie taught me many things…how to cook, sew, knit, garden, and most importantly, how to paint. She put a paintbrush in my hand when I was 4 years old and somehow those early pieces found their way onto the walls of my parents’ dining room.

I also need to mention my grandma Patricia whom I never met, but believe has been guiding my creativity from above for my entire life.

I paint because it connects me with my most imaginative, child-like self, and it allows me to share what I feel and visualize with the world. Inspired by bold and expressive women, my work is whimsical, and full of life. I love hearts, stars, stripes, and crazy ways of including hidden mantras where I tell small stories.

Originally from Edina, Minnesota, I now live life in Alexandria, Virginia.

I hope my art helps people feel seen, understood, and a little less alone.