scenes from the last week

the views from fort warden are always incredible. i love that artfest is held here. so many creative souls on such gorgeous land – it always makes for a meaningful trip. this year was the most chilled-out artfest i’ve ever attended. mom and i loved our time together taking classes or resting or reading or eating comfort food inside the cozy cabin we shared with two other friends. really quiet in all the best ways….

here we are in our nested visions class. our teachers, tracie lyn + marilyn huskamp, were amazing – totally vivacious and silly and patient and just very good teachers.

here’s my craft goodness from the day. i love the simplicity of this piece. we made the nests from horse hair and other scraps from nature and then created an arrangement to our liking with vintage book covers and other collage elements. it’ll go inside a white shadow box, arranged with my mom’s pieces from the day:

totally loving my mom’s creative touches, and how quickly she works. i noticed that she works much like i do – spontaneously, fast, and without too much judgement. and this all made me smile in our similarities. her pieces will each go into their own shadow boxes…so cute!

it was such a gorgeous day on day #2 of artfest, that i went exploring for a bit down by the water and found this old abandoned boat. i hopped inside of it and snapped a few photos. such fun.

it seems that each year that i attend artfest, i feel a bit reflective and grateful for all the creative beginnings (the creative life started for me at artfest 2006), all the creative growth since, all the life growth, all the connection with family + friends these last three years. it’s been such a wild ride, really truly. things are calming down a bit these days, but i still have a very tender spot in my heart when it comes to this retreat – the very place where my creative possibilities were fully realized and where it became clear that perhaps i had a passion.

after artfest, and back home in seattle, the weather continued to amaze. i think spring might actually be here. this was a view from a neighborhood park yesterday. oh my.

more photos of this room can be found here. the above painting was made by andrea during her recent visit and i’m completely loving it paired with an x and an o. so sweet and perfect for the guest room. i have several photos of the house to share in upcoming posts, including our new green couch, and a tour of our bedroom!

this photo was taken on the way to dinner on their last evening with us. my mom is tickling me and i can’t contain my laughter which makes me love this photo. i noticed that i really just want to be around my parents more and more. that i enjoy their company more than ever. that i see myself in them more than ever. that i have more patience. that i appreciate them more. that i feel protective of them in ways i haven’t before. i hated to see them go….we had such a good time.

Hi, 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 whispers and started playing with paint and everything changed.

Now I’m a full-time artist, author and Possibilitarian, who helps women explore and nourish their creative souls.