Art

Paint Like You

LikeYou

The desire to paint a flower still life has been in the back of my mind for awhile. I had a vision for how I thought it would turn out.  After getting some tulips from my sweet husband it inspired me to get started. I began these 3 paintings below – sunflowers, peonies and tulips. They started with good intentions and vision but fell flat on execution for me. I was getting so frustrated and I think it shows in the tight, unnatural feeling I got from this work so, I let them sit for a few days.

 

StillLife

I picked up the sunflower painting and added pattern, deeper colors and was feeling better about it.  I slept on it and the next day I realized it just didn’t feel right and I asked myself – would I hang this art proudly in my home? The answer was no. It didn’t feel like me. At that moment, I reminded myself of something that I had read recently … paint like you. I needed to forget about what I wanted it to be, stop comparing my work to other still life art on Pinterest and just paint like me.

 

So, I got to work covering up the sunflower still life and this happened instead!

SunflowersCollage

 

I love looking at the collage and seeing that I could have stopped at frame 5 or 6 or 8 and be really happy with it. Stopping before I “go to far” is something I continue to work towards feeling more confident about. Taking many pictures as I work is helping me see when to let go, call it done and remember to just paint like me.

 

I encourage you to do things your way too! It is truly freeing to give yourself permission to just be you.

2014: A Year of Painting

It’s been one year since I embarked on a fresh start in my little corner of the internet.  In keeping with the season of celebrating the past year, I wanted to take a look back at the artwork I created in 2014. It’s been a beautifully colorful journey in a variety of painting styles, subjects and a much larger mix of commissions then years past. I am still feeling my way through what feels right and what’s my authentic self. Just keep painting, that’s my plan for 2015!

2014PaintingCollage

31 Days. 31 Drawings.

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Every October artists all over the world take on the INKtober drawing challenge and do one ink drawing a day the entire month. I found out about this great challenge from my Instragram friend @aisforanika – thanks Anika! I was in a little of a creative slump and had just bought a cute little pocket journal with 32 pages from Bonnie from Going Home to Roost when I saw Anika’s INKtober post – it was kismet!

I decided to give it go, use my little journal and start a daily drawing practice for the month of October. I shared my drawings on my Instagram feed daily (of course, Instaluv!) and Facebook weekly. Since it was the first time I used a sketchbook for a specific purpose I thought it was a great time to create my first sketchbook flip video, yay!

Mesa Street Art Love: Upcycled Planter Project

IMG_6541I can’t believe I never shared the final planter piece on my blog. I shared on Instagram and Facebook and then forgot all about my very important blog, so silly of me. To see the inspiration pictures and planning for my planter, click here.

Here’s a little background on the project – Downtown Mesa has teamed with local artists and businesses to build “Main Street Art Love,” a series of unique planters along Main Street. The up-cycled planters, which will bring additional desert foliage to the main drag. (New Times Culture blog wrote about the project and I am very excited to have my name mentioned! Click to read this article.)

Pictures of the work in process.

PlanterWIPCollageI took the cart apart, sanded it and spray painted it with a fresh color. I decided to give the second tier some artwork with an abstract desert scene. I painted the bottom wicker compartment with a matte silver spray paint and then let loose and had fun with the small suitcase. I loved adding the quote on the inside to give it a little extra whimsy. I fastened the suitcase with some hardware to keep it upright and used gorilla glue to keep both the wicker compartment and suitcase affixed to the cart.

This is my finished upcycled planter for Desert Blossom Salon & Boutique in Downtown Mesa!

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Just needs desert plants added to bring it to life. The planters will be out until forever, so you can stop by Desert Blossom Salon & Boutique in Downtown Mesa anytime to take a peek at my planter as well as the other artists work on Main Street.

Work in Process: Mesa Planter Project

I’m very excited to be involved in a great community art project – The Mesa Planter Project! This project pairs local artists with businesses on Main Street to design artsy, unique, upcycled planters in which to plant heat tolerant plants. I was paired with Desert Blossom, an awesome salon & boutique. Here are some snapshots from their instagram feed to see the eclectic, colorful vibe of the items items they sell.

 

BlossomCollage

 

(P.S. Desert Blossom is having a 50% off Labor Day Weekend SALE and are located 146 W. Main St Mesa, AZ 85201).

I picked up this metal cart beauty for the base of the shop planter! One of the requirements was to have the planter on wheels. My friend Amanda is an amazing treasure hunter and found this sweet cart and I snatched it right up.h Tank you Amanda! You can check out more of Amanda’s finds at A Flippin’ Disaster on Facebook.

 

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I’m excited to get down to work on the base. The colors I am thinking of incorporating are yellow, white, turquoise and green. Those seem like they work well with the style and colors of their boutique. Here are some idea sketches I’ve been working on to help me figure out how I want to develop the planter.

 

SketchCollage

 

Save the date September 19th for the reveal in Downtown Mesa during Flash Park Friday! I’m really excited to see all the amazing, creative planters the other artists in the project make. Check out the details below.

 

Flash-PArk-Friday-Poster

Nursery Artwork for Joseph Liam

Bert, the boys and I traveled to New York this month to visit our families and celebrate my sister Kelly’s baby shower. She decided on a white and gray color scheme for her baby boy, Joseph Liam’s nursery. A sweet little elephant bedding set from Pottery Barn was chosen and that was my starting point for creating the artwork for my nephew’s nursery.

 

bedding

 

Below are my pencil sketches and the first layers of paint through the final artwork.

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I glued patterned scrapbook paper for the elephants ears and the balloons. The colors and outlines of the elephants were pretty heavy handed at first.

 

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I knew I needed to go lighter so, I painted the elephants white and lightened the outlines as well as began lightening up the blue background. For Joseph Liam’s name banner I picked up wooden letters at the hobby store, glued them to the canvas and painted everything white. I have to thank Pinterest for this beauty of an idea. I pinned a similar letter piece a couple years ago and that was the perfect inspiration for this project! I first painted with acrylic paint but, after a few coats of white it wasn’t feeling bright white enough for me. I decided to try white spray paint instead. The paint covered the surface much quicker, easier and brighter with the spray paint.

JosephLiam3

Final three pieces of artwork. The colors and outlines are much softer overall. The little stitching detail on the ears and balloons adds the right amount of handmade sweetness to these little guys. I worked to match the Pottery Barn pattern as best I could with a little of me thrown in (mostly in the addition of a little color).

 

shower

 

My sister opening her gift from me. It was one of the few surprises I was able to get by her as she was “in the know” about everything! The second shower picture is of me, my sisters Kelly and Katie and my Mom. Kelly definitely got my mother’s gift of creating beautiful spaces. She has done a fabulous job of turning the baby’s room into a beautiful nursery and I’m so happy to be able to create artwork for her little boy. I can’t wait to meet my nephew!

Work in Process: Desert Nectar

Desert Nectar
24″ x 36″

I worked on the background for this piece a few months ago.  Unsure of what to paint I let it sit in studio for awhile. I wanted to add to another desert plant painting to my collection so, when I thought about what to create, a picture I took of my neighbors plants popped in my head. The hummingbird appeared while I painted. I adore hummingbirds and always get excited when I see one so when he appeared in my artwork I was tickled! After a little research today, I found that this plant is called “Blue Elf Aloe” which doesn’t feel like a fitting name so, it’s all the more fitting to me that the hummingbird turned out to be blue.

DesertNectarCollage

Work in Process posts share the visual journey of one of my paintings from the first drips of color to the finished piece. I hope you enjoy this peek into my process! Click here to see all the posts in this ongoing series.

Desert Nectar is for sale. Email me if interested in purchasing.

The Phoenix Mural Project: Murals for Sale!

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Last December, I participated in a community “mural”  during the 2013 Phoenix Festival of the Arts. I painted outdoors alongside over 120 local muralists creating beautiful 3ft x 6ft murals throughout Hance Park as part of an ongoing project called “The Phoenix Mural” led by artist, Hugo Medina.

 

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The murals created during the festival are available for purchase for $300 each through the Phoenix Center of the Arts.  To view murals currently available, Click here to see remaining murals! Simply note the mural number you wish to purchase and call 602-254-3100 to complete your order. A portion of the sales goes to benefit the center and a generous portion goes to the artist!

Work in Process: Water Lilies

Water Lilies
12″ x 24″

The water lily, also known as lotus, is seen as a symbol for rebirth. Water lilies close and fall below the water at night and at daybreak rise from muck. While its roots are in the mud, the flower blooms beautifully above the water.

WaterliliesCollageWork in Process posts share the visual journey of one of my paintings from the first drips of color to the finished piece. I hope you enjoy this peek into my process! Click here to see all the posts in this ongoing series.

Water Lilies is for sale at Yoga Styles in Phoenix, Arizona. Email yogastylesinfo@gmail.com or me if interested in purchasing.

 

With Art in Motion, I share the visual journey through the life of one of my paintings — from the blank canvas, to the first splash of inspiration, all the way to the finished piece. Enjoy to the fullest! – See more at: http://kellyraeroberts.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2014-04-26T11:02:00-07:00&max-results=5#sthash.20aC9xaq.dpuf
With Art in Motion, I share the visual journey through the life of one of my paintings — from the blank canvas, to the first splash of inspiration, all the way to the finished piece. Enjoy to the fullest! – See more at: http://kellyraeroberts.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2014-04-26T11:02:00-07:00&max-results=5#sthash.20aC9xaq.dpuf
With Art in Motion, I share the visual journey through the life of one of my paintings — from the blank canvas, to the first splash of inspiration, all the way to the finished piece. Enjoy to the fullest! – See more at: http://kellyraeroberts.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2014-04-26T11:02:00-07:00&max-results=5#sthash.20aC9xaq.dpuf
With Art in Motion, I share the visual journey through the life of one of my paintings — from the blank canvas, to the first splash of inspiration, all the way to the finished piece. Enjoy to the fullest! – See more at: http://kellyraeroberts.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2014-04-26T11:02:00-07:00&max-results=5#sthash.20aC9xaq.dpuf

Work in Process: Trust Your Magic

Trust Your Magic
14″x11″

Your mind is everything. What you think, you become.

TrustYourMagicWork in Process posts share the visual journey of one of my paintings from the first drips of color to the finished piece. I hope you enjoy this peek into my process! Click here to see all the posts in this ongoing series

Buddha artwork is for sale at Yoga Styles in Phoenix, Arizona. Email yogastylesinfo@gmail.com or me if interested in purchasing.

Make Art Monday: Light and Free

MAM

I have fallen a bit behind in my Make Art Monday practice. I had some family in town (woo hoo) and that threw me off my game for a little bit. I was back in the studio this past weekend and have some work to share for Make Art Monday!

Make Art Monday – LIGHT

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Make Art Monday – FREE

Bliss

I share my art practice in process on my instagram feed @kristenfagan and my Facebook art page, Creative Stash whenever I can. So far we have had the words Trust, Play, Light, Free, Passion and this week’s word is Strength. It’s wonderful to see what other people create and how different the art can be! Use #makeartmonday on instagram, twitter or facebook to see what others are creating.

Make Art Monday is a creative weekly practice for anyone who would like to take a little time out of their week to tap into their artistic and intuitive self.  For more info and to join the Make Art Monday creative practice, click here.

Featured Artist at The Roose and Yoga Styles

I am proud to be exhibiting my artwork at two wonderful locations in downtown Phoenix for the month of April.

TheRoose

The Roose Parlour and Spa
918 N. 6th Street, 602.274.6942
The Roose Parlour & Spa has created a sanctuary in downtown Phoenix’s historic district. They strive to make an inviting environment for guests to relax and be pampered in their full service salon and spa.

 

YogaStyles2

Yoga Styles
1023 Grand Ave, 602-312-5292
Yoga Styles offers a line of unique, high quality products for the active (and passive) lifestyle.  Many items in their line easily transition from work out to night out.  Fun, funky clothing, jewelry, meditation and yoga props designed and created here in Phoenix.