Meet Brigitte De Marco of Goodyear

Today we’d like to introduce you to Brigitte De Marco

Hi Brigitte, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
While I have always been an artist, my journey as a career artist started after spending 8 years as a high school art teacher. While I loved teaching, I always had the lingering feeling that I wanted to create full-time—but like many, I believed art wasn’t a realistic career path.

That perspective changed after the pandemic. Teaching became more demanding than ever, and I found myself deeply questioning what I wanted for my future. I started Prickle & Pine Designs in 2022 as a side business, balancing my growing art career with my full-time teaching job. It wasn’t easy—I spent my days in the classroom and my nights and weekends building my business from the ground up. Eventually, the momentum became impossible to ignore. I gave myself a year to prove I could make a living as an artist, and my life has simply never been the same!

Since then, I’ve embraced art as my full-time career. I paint Arizona landscapes, design and execute murals, sell my work at local markets, and host paint nights throughout the Valley. What sets my work apart is my deep connection to my community—I love collaborating with local businesses, schools, and art lovers to bring creativity into everyday spaces.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
By definition, being an entrepreneur is not a smooth road. It’s a journey of extreme highs and lows, and with art, those emotions are even more intense because the work is so deeply personal. I’ve never had a job as meaningful to me as this one.

One of my first struggles was time management. When I started my art career while still teaching full-time, I would come home after a long day, take a quick power nap, then work on my business late into the night—only to wake up and do it all over again the next day. I had to build and maintain that momentum, and as my art career grew, I found myself staying up later, sacrificing weekends, and even strategically scheduling time off just to keep up with the demand.

When I finally quit teaching, I assumed I’d have all the time in the world—but instead, my schedule quickly filled with new opportunities I hadn’t been able to pursue before. Even now, my biggest challenge remains time. I do everything by hand— every lesson design, every painting, every ceramic peice, social media post, marketing material, etc is hand designed. In a field with so much competition (even from AI), this might not be the most efficient way to work, but I believe it creates a deeper connection to both my art and the people who support me. So, despite the challenge, I choose to keep going this way.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
As a creative, I do a little bit of everything. I collaborate with local businesses to host paint-and-sip events across the Valley—a small way I continue to practice my passion for arts education. I also participate in local art markets, where I sell handmade work, including prints of my paintings, hand-drawn stickers, and ceramics. But my favorite work is painting murals! I have painted perhaps a dozen murals across the valley since starting my art career and I find the process and outcome to be deeply rewarding.

I’m best known for my brightly colored landscape paintings, but what truly sets me apart is my deep involvement in my community. I love partnering with local businesses and schools around the Valley, building real connections through art. Even on social media, my audience is primarily Arizona-based, which is exactly how I want it. I could teach my painting classes online, but I’d miss out on the joy of engaging with students in person—seeing their enthusiasm and creativity firsthand.

More and more, I realize people appreciate this hands-on approach, and I’m constantly amazed by how many recognize my work or have taken a class with me. As someone still early in my career, that support is incredibly encouraging!

We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
Success is deeply personal, and for me, it exists in the act of creating. As long as I am able to make art, I am successful. In practical terms, that means sustaining my art business, finding opportunities to collaborate, securing spaces to showcase my work, and continuing to move forward. Success isn’t about a final destination—it’s about the ability to keep going, to keep creating. That’s all I’ve ever wanted, and as long as I’m doing that, I consider myself successful.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.brigittedemarco.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/prickleandpinedesigns/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/prickleandpinedesigns/
• Other: https://www.prickleandpinedesigns.com

Image Credits
Sharon Curran