Hardest part for artist is watching paint dry, but her work is therapeutic
by Wendy Turrell
Brecksville fluid acrylic and resin artist Logan Bedell never formally studied art. In fact, she said she “never had the patience to be an artist,” and the hardest part of her work is having to wait for the paint to dry and resin to cure.
Instead, Bedell found her new vocation as a result of suffering serious health issues two years ago and discovering art as a form of mental self-care.
“During that time is when I discovered fluid painting, and then resin art,” she said. “I fell in love and never looked back.”
Bedell considers creating art a vital part of her mental health.
“I use paint and resin to escape my mind,” she said. “It helps me relax and be my truest self. For the couple of hours I am working, I’m allowed to just let go and let all of my anxieties and thoughts just pour out of my body.”
Acrylic and resin art can be separate forms or combined into one creation, Bedell explained. Her colorful flowing acrylic works are the result of a process in which she uses a latex paint medium called Floetrol to make the acrylic paint more fluid and moveable.
After adding the medium to separate colors, she transfers them into one cup, which she pours over a canvas or other items.
For resin art, Bedell combines two compounds to make a resin epoxy. She has a limited time to work with the resin before it “kicks,” or gets too tacky to pour into the mold. Bedell adds other elements to the resin, including gold or colored pigments, alcohol ink to give the product a droplet effect when it is cured, glitter, or vinyl for short sayings or quotes embedded in the resin.
Some of her pretty and practical designs include keychains, spoon rests, trays, coasters and ring dishes. Resin can lend itself to much larger projects, such as counter or table tops, or it can be used in a clear form to seal a painting or other work. Bedell said the possibilities for the medium are endless.
Bedell just recently switched to earning her living as an artist. After dropping out of college in her sophomore year, she decided to use her intense love for animals to become a dog obedience trainer. She began training dogs for a dog daycare center, but she soon went solo and ran a successful training business for two years.
During that time, Bedell began experiencing the health issues that would eventually lead her to her second career.
Bedell is originally from Bel Air, Md. Her fiancée is from Ohio and lived with her in Maryland for three years before the two decided to move to Ohio in October 2019. They settled in Brecksville, a town Bedell says she loves and reminds her of the town where she grew up.
She enjoys exploring new ways to use her chosen mediums, in whatever ways her curiosity takes her. She claims to work “with no rhyme or reason … on whatever sparks my interest. … I always have new work coming out; I’m constantly thinking of something new to provide and try out.”
She also takes orders for custom pieces and is excited about a recent partnership making custom coasters for Blue Monkey Brewing Company in North Royalton.
Bedell had planned to show her work in Ohio shows and art galleries this spring, before the COVID-19 virus put a stop to those outlets. She is currently exploring that possibility with some galleries that are reopening.
To view and order Bedell’s designs, visit Artwork by Logan on Facebook or ArtworkbyLogan on Etsy.
Feature image photo caption: Brecksville artist Logan Bedell uses the mediums of acrylic and resin as a form of self-expression and self-care. Photo courtesy L. Bedell
