Today we’d like to introduce you to Kelly Ames
Kelly, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I have always loved art and have been a creative person since I was a very small child. I enjoy expressing myself artistically and thrive on the challenges associated with making a piece of art. I simply love the creative process, even when it frustrates me. Making art keeps me centered and gives me something to be proud of. There is an undeniable thrill when you see your artwork displayed. It blows me away every time I see my work in someone’s home, a restaurant, gallery or an office. It is somewhat surreal, and it confirms that I am exactly where I am supposed to be in this life.
I had a 23-year corporate career, working downtown as a paralegal and then selling accounting services for a CPA firm in Hunt Valley. I loved my corporate days and had the privilege of working with some wonderful people over the years; however, the work was not fulfilling my creative energies and I found myself wanting to be in my studio more than I wanted to be in an office. After losing my Father in 2009 and reeling over his loss for 2 years, with the blessing of my son and my husband, I decided to follow my passion and start my own business working as a full-time independent artist. I have been making and selling art full time since 2011 and I have loved every minute of it. Even when times have been tough, when I have stumbled and when I have failed over the past 13 years, I have loved my place in this world, and I have thrived as an artist and a human.
I have had over 30 gallery openings, solo and group shows, participated in numerous art festivals, sold my work on the internet, worked with interior designers and gallery owners, wholesaled my jewelry to boutiques, and created custom art that is fun, colorful, fabulous and funky!
Over the past couple of years, my energies have been devoted more to the care of my dear Mother, who recently passed at the age of 90. As I start to recover from her loss, I want to continue to make my parents, now in heaven, proud. My goal for the near term is to rebuild my brand, devoting more time to mosaics, hand painted furniture and acrylic painting. I recently built my own gallery and shop and I plan on using the space to display my art and to help others enjoy the creative process through small group classes and gatherings.
In the end, I just want to make art and be happy. I want to count all of my blessings, spend time with my family and friends and make art that makes me proud and makes others feel good, too.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Since leaving the corporate world in 2011, I have encountered plenty of struggles along the way. I have failed to be accepted at juried exhibits, or to be chosen for corporate art displays and I have failed to charge enough for my creations. I have started and restarted untold pieces of art until I got the piece that I wanted and envisioned. I have momentarily questioned my abilities and questioned what I have gotten myself into. But each stumble or failure led to a success.
In terms of how I have been successful, I have sold hundreds of pieces of my art, donated art to raise funds for charities, participated in numerous dynamic art shows, launched a wholesale business and a website and I met so many wonderful people in the process! Trying to make a living as a full-time creative artist is not easy. It’s hard work and difficult to make the money that you really deserve for the hours spent on most of your work. But…that’s not why I am making art… if money was that important to me, I would have stayed on the corporate tract. I make art because I am driven from the depths of my soul to create beautiful pieces of eye candy, to envelop myself in color, to leave a lasting mark on this world that is positive and full of creative energy. I make art because God gave me the ability to do so, and I simply cannot take that for granted. I make art because in doing so it makes me a better person.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am an artist who works in multiple mediums. I delve into mosaics, acrylic painting, fused glass, hand painted furniture, jewelry, collage, resin and just about anything else my crazy mind can come up with.
I love to mosaic. It is such beautiful artform and I enjoy the permanency of it. The products that I use to mosaic with include stained, fused and dichroic glass, tiles, beads, shells, vintage jewelry…the sky is the limit! One of the pieces that I am most proud of was commissioned by Southern Sol to be in front of their store in Jarrettsville, MD. I transformed a very old rusty farm tractor into a mosaic masterpiece that I named “Izzy” after my dear grandmother who loved to sparkle and shine in her favorite jewels.
I enjoy painting with acrylics because color is my jam, and I can create beautiful bright art that is realistic or abstract. Painting is soothing to me, and I like that I can be expressive without worrying about being photo realistic. I have done large scale murals and really tiny paintings. I like that I can work big or work small when I paint. Back in 2005, I created one of the large crabs for the Believe in Our Schools Crabtown public art partnership project in downtown Baltimore. I created “Lenny Crabitz” which was on public display throughout the summer and then auctioned off to benefit Baltimore City Schools. In the end, I enjoy playing with paint and seeing what I can come up with.
I really like painting furniture, and like the challenge of taking an old, tired and worn-out piece of wooden furniture and bringing it back to life. I look for discarded gems on the side of the road to upcycle and I like to incorporate mosaic or decoupage on to the furniture as well. We live in such a disposable society, so taking an unwanted and discarded piece of furniture and redoing it just makes sense. Giving something a second chance simply makes me happy.
Finally, I love to make jewelry using fused and dichroic glass, beautiful beads, crystals and gems. I string beads and twist silver wire to make beautiful earrings, necklaces, bracelets and rings. Being a jewelry fanatic myself, I am driven to design and create colorful, sparkly, shiny jewels. I really get a kick out of seeing people wear my jewelry. It warms my heart.
I think my love of color, my attention to detail and the variety of mediums that I endeavor to create in sets me apart from others. The reality is there so many great artists out there. It is a privilege to be included in the collective of artists that help people find some sort of happiness and feel good when they take it all in. Art is a gift for the artist and for the viewer. It simply makes the world a better place.
The crisis has affected us all in different ways. How has it affected you and any important lessons or epiphanies you can share with us?
I had a solo furniture and art show that opened at the Highlandtown Gallery in Baltimore on March 6, 2020. I had put in hundreds and hundreds of hours of work for this show which sadly closed 2 weeks after it opened because of the shutdown. It was so disappointing and heart wrenching to know that all of my hard work was simply sitting there in a closed gallery, unable to be seen by the public. I understood the fear that was invoked by the pandemic, and I was concerned for the health and safety of others, but it did not change the fact that my show was closed and never got the full attention that it deserved.
Financially, the pandemic completely brought my business to a halt. Many of the wholesale retail accounts that I had prior to the pandemic went out of business and galleries that survived did not open back up quickly or at all. I redirected my efforts to selling online on my ETSY shop and my website. But for me, the best part of being an artist is sharing my creations with people, in person, with laughter and joy.
I learned that being disappointed is part of life and you have to redirect your efforts. Also, my mom’s health declined during the pandemic, and I took the time to care for her and put my creative endeavors on the back burner so I could give her the care and attention that she so deserved.
I learned that if you have your own business you need to prepare for the down times, be able to redirect your efforts, reevaluate your business structure and figure out a better way to do things to sustain your income. I learned that you never really have control of some things so be prepared to pivot and turn.
I have learned that even a pandemic can’t keep a good artist down.
Pricing:
- Jewelry ranges from 50.00 to 350.00
- Paintings ranges from 500.00 to 5000.00
- Mosaics ranges from 350.00 to 5000.00
- Fused glass ranges from 50.00 to 1000.00
- Furniture ranges from 500.00 to 5000.00
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.amesgroovyart.com
- Instagram: Kelly Ames
- Facebook: Kelly Ames, Ames GroovymART
