Meet Behnaz and her gorgeous collages!

As I was growing up, I was always involved in art and even though art came naturally to me, I was always taking art classes. I loved making things and my mom really encouraged me and since she was a fashion designer, I got to learn a lot from her, we always did some sort of project together.

Ever since I can remember I wanted to be known for something. I had a dream of becoming an entrepreneur. Since I always loved art, for years I was looking for my niche. I explored so many different options. When I left my design job I thought seriously about what I wanted to do. I played around and explored with so many different options, sometimes driving myself crazy. Then one day I saw a collaged lampshade with birds on it and that sparked my creation. That day I could not wait to get home and put in on canvas, it was one of the best days of my life. Since then I was inspired to create my own line of fun and colorful pieces of art. My sense of color creates pieces that are truly unique. Deliberate thoughtfulness that combines hand-stitching, raw edged appliqué and patch work creates a one of a kind product, which I drew from my experiences as a designer.

My collages are mounted on canvas and are created and designed from found paper and fabric. I appliqué the found papers and fabrics on a fabric upholstered canvas and add intricate embroidery.

A lot of my inspirations come from nature; being outdoors looking at god’s wonderful creations calms me and makes me happy. I have always been fascinated with trees. I loved looking at them and painting them naked with no leaves.

I am also fascinated with birds. They have a beauty I can’t explain. When I see them, I get a sense of stillness and hearing them sing makes me blissful. They are free, they fly where they please and seem content as to where they land and they are so darn cute.

My mother is also my inspiration with her encouragements and what she has taught me. That is why I named my business after her; Behjat translates “happiness from the best places” from Persian, because she is my true inspiration and since she has now passed away, I want to keep her name alive.

The journey in my life has lead me to my dream. I am almost there, I can taste it. I just want to be successful with my art and would love to have everyone love them as much as I loved making them and to make people smile.

You can view Behnaz's shop on Etsy:
Behjat on Etsy