the beauty of creative messes

Aug 21, 2009 | Life in Progress

(photo by ali edwards)

(photo by brene brown)
it’s late. i should be in bed. or packing up my artful messes. or cleaning. but all i can think about is all that happened these last many days. i wanted to share what it looks like when you spread out a sheet, open up a suitcase full of paints and art supplies, and ask 13 of your friends to get messy with you. the result: astounding gratitude that they were even interested yet alone freaking out in happiness. and more: hearts bursting with creative pride, energy so good you want to bottle it up and take it home, and many stunning collaborative canvases. in other words, i was in heaven.
(photo by ali edwards)
(photo by karen walrond)
together, we devoured the collage papers and the paints, each taking turns to sit around a couple of large canvases to add our own personal touches, making the paintings incredibly meaningful. after our collab pieces were done, most of us went on to create our own pieces. omg! there was such an explosion of excitement and connectedness that, in the end, we blazed through 12 large canvases, gobs of gel medium, and joy the size + width of texas. i loved watching my friends get inspired – some of them painting for the first time – delicately yet excitedly maneuvering what it feels like to have goop on their hands, to actually create a real life painting. and the paintings were downright stunning – all of them.
(photo by brene brown)
at one point we were all huddled around a couple of large canvases when lionel richie came on the ipod (loud). for those few minutes we all spontaneously got up from the floor, paints all over our hands, and sang our hearts out to ‘you are sun, you are the rain…’ – hands down, it was one of the best moments of my years.
(photos by tracey clark)
(photo by andrea scher)
my heart is so happy from these days spent creating alongside my friends, i can barely stand it. on saturday, there was a moment when i was washing mounds of paint off of my hands thinking about how just 24 hours prior to that moment i was confessing my whatdoihavetooffer worry to jemen. who knew that a suitcase of art supplies and some blank canvases could be so much fun, so rewarding, and so healing.
(photo by katherine center)
my creative spark is in full blown mode now. thank you, lovebombers. i am SO inspired! the above is a quick snapshot of a couple of paintings. the first one on the left is one of the group’s collaborative paintings – more on that soon. the others are a couple of pieces i did right there by that giant window that looks out into the ocean. working on many pieces over here for a big sale next month.
ps – speaking of collaborative paintings, check out the upcoming sept/oct issue of Somerset Studios magazine. i wrote an article about the collaborative paintings that mati and i did together earlier this year. it’s a gorgeous, gorgeous article (love somerset’s layout and design) and i’m so thankful to be a part of this issue! thank you, somerset studios! sneak peek above 🙂

pss – please welcome our newest sponsor, Color Incorporated.

psss – i keep forgetting to mention this here on the blog, but for all of you who have been waiting for the necklaces, they’re back! i’ve added many of them to the shop. check em out here!
next up: more creative fun.

Sending much love,

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Hello + welcome!

I’m Kelly Rae Roberts

Before I picked up my first paintbrush at the age of 30, I was a medical social worker. I followed my creative whispers, and today I’m an artist & Possibilitarian. I’m passionate about creating meaningful art and experiences that awaken and inspire our spirits.

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