Blessings and smiley faces to you. I am Katey-D and all the items I offer are my own creations. Welcome to my arty world - please look around and visit my shops and blog.  

My first art memory is from age 5 or 6. I was made aware that my scribbles were somehow different than the other children when my teacher ran from the classroom to show off a clown I had created using a small paper plate. I guess that was when I was "discovered".I was treated with such esteem on that occasion - I have wondered since about the kids around me who may have felt less talented as a result. That is something I keep in mind when I am teaching children or critiquing peers. It takes ten positive experiences to erase one bad one - or so they say. I try to boost everyone's RDA for 10 as often as possible. I also know what it is like to be the one not being esteemed.

Anyway - "art" is part of me... I am rooted in a family of craftsmen & carpenters. I grew up watching cars getting fixed, home improvement projects, and where every manner of project always seemed to be in queue. "Creating" is like breathing. The short of it is that I was encouraged by those around me - other people noticed "something" about me long before I ever did. I just did it. I am convinced that all we do in life is an act of worship. How we worship and Whom is the heart of the matter.

My artistic journey took me through a Graphic Design program in high school, scholarship to university and finally to a Bachelor of Science degree in Art Education with a focus on Art History. I became an art director (in a tiny ad house) before I even graduated - but it wasn't long before I jumped into another field completely and landed in the new construction arena. It was evident I could use all my arts/graphic knowledge in construction - and it has stayed with me all these years. Being well versed in construction as well as aesthetics made for happy building adventures. I continued a freelance style career thereafter as a be-at-home mom of two home scholars (currently with one still safely in the nest and the other hanging by a twig) ~
while attempting to keep my toes in arts & crafts, graphic arts, and new construction. Teaching Fine Art to home school students has cropped up seasonally in my life over the years as well.
All this has been like skiing with a board on one foot and a banana on the other - always interesting, but always fun. I am as happy holding a hammer as a paint brush or technical pen. I actually enjoy vacuuming, but I do not like emptying the dishwasher.
After discovering online selling, the bulky traveling-tent used to display my wares at live festivals was retired. I realized a whole new world on eBay. I have spent years getting to know other artists and have gathered over 1500 positive feedbacks to date on my IDs at that venue. I also discovered that I often spent more time promoting artists/art groups and organizing them than listing and selling my own art. The online art community is like nothing else. Being 'with' artists and their art every day inspires me. The support I get back is immeasurable. I have had to find a balance and let some of it go and get back to the basics of making and selling art. ETSY has become my main selling site. I wear too many hats at times it’s true. I particularly like hats with lots of stripey colors, and little dangly bells never hurt.

For a time I created mainly on large surfaces. It was time consuming and involved furniture…and setting up at those festivals and shows was a big deal…Bleh. I had to adjust and migrate my efforts. With the addition of the online art community in my life - my work became smaller (literally). For one, it made shipping possible. Second, I can work in small increments and actually get things finished... often taking projects with me as I work on other projects out in the "real world". Online venues have allowed me to create art purely for the joy of the experience. I maintain my new construction/freelance career and am currently an Artisan/Trade Coordinator for a large residential project.

An observant arty friend commented to me once: You appear to work in a wide range of formats and mediums - have you no attention span, or just an expansive view of the world? I thought that was perfectly insightful and funny. My brain never stops talking to me (words and pictures)...boing...boing...boing. I have so many projects in my brain I can't possibly get to them all, so variety results as I jump on whatever I can whenever I can. So, maybe it isn't a matter of no attention span - my attention is large - high velocity thinking...or as she said: an expansive world view. I think I get this trait from my Dad. My parents are both huge champions of all my artistic efforts.
My entire arty life can be summarized with “boing... boing... boing“ to a point. I create in a variety of formats… from 1" paintings and 2.5" x 3.5" Artist Trading Cards (ATC/ACEO), all the way to larger folk art wood pieces. I enjoy creating art in a variety of mediums as well. From primitive country all the way to soft watercolors, you might see whimsical humor, dark art, or the deep and spiritual from me. I can never settle on just one thing. You might find original acrylics one week, watercolor cartoons another, and then perhaps assemblages and collages at other times. My work has tended towards the practical and decorative in the past, but has also (boing!) developed into a fresh whimsy and distinct delight for life filled with things bright and beautiful.
I love my God, and my family. Music and Art fill my world and are a great comfort to my spirit, filling my thoughts with assurance, color and light as I rehearse all that I have been blessed with. When the world gets ugly (and it sure does) I have a resting place in my Savior and the endless gifts He has given me.
“...art created to bring you simple joy”

Sleep is optional
Faith is essential
~katey-D
All art, content and design are © 2008 BLUEYEDUCKSTUDIOS / katey-D. All rights reserved.