​I'm Bee Gates, the artist behind ArtBGates!  My mission is to create colorful art for colorful people!

My work combines a love of color and an obsession with craft because I enjoy working with my hands and creating beautiful pieces that I can use as decoration.  I grew up surrounded by artists in my family and I studied to become an art teacher so my past and my career have provided me with the skills needed to work with several different mediums.  I work as a painter, metalsmith, fibers artist doing embroidery, needle felting, and hand-tufted rugs, as well as working as a stained glass artist.  

I was highly influenced by my family as I was exposed to art at a young age.  My sister is a graphic designer.  My mother was a big crafter making stenciled rugs and handmade clothing and toys.  My father was more of a fine artist who had a passion for drawing.  My grandmother loved painting and was skilled in oil and watercolor.  My other grandmother made beautiful crocheted blankets and doilies.  My grandfather worked as a stained glass artist in his spare time and my other grandfather was a skilled woodworker teaching wood shop and he made furniture.  I was surrounded by art for as long as I can remember.  I grew up making my own Halloween costumes and took every art class I could in school.  I am destined to be a life-long creator.  

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