work in progress

Creativity blog tag

Do you think visual art needs to be explained?

Yes/No ... There are times where a viewer can have a greater appreciation for visual arts when they are given a particular context, which can be the artist's own thoughts on the piece or a critic's review of the work as compared to prior art. A piece of visual art should be able to stand on its own, but because a individual art viewer may have their own expertise that has not allowed them to experience a wide variety of art, it helps to have an expert in fine arts open that individual's eyes so that that the individual can have a truthful experience with the piece that is not hampered by their own prejudices about art.

Who is your favorite artist that we may not know about?

Topher Crowder

Do you think art education should be a part of elementary core curriculum?

Yes-- art education is often a crucial introduction to self-discovery, which leads to empathy, which leads to better citizens.

What are your favorite online sources for art / creative news and information?

TheDetroiter.com

Hyperallergic

The Huffington Post


Art Fag City


Have you ever worked on a collaborative art piece?

Yes -- I think collaborative pieces allow you to create pieces that are separate from your usual aesthetic choices, so that you can genuinely critique yourself


Do you show your work anywhere? Tell me about it.

Yes, The River's Edge Gallery, Art Effect Gallery, and The Boll Family YMCA


Do you think there are specific roadblocks for women artists?

I wouldn't know -- I know a lot of powerful women artists doing great work who show regularly in this area. I think that there are several prejudices against women, namely regarding roles, which probably make it more difficult to be a professional artist.

Do you work full time on your art?

I work on my art everyday ... for various reasons, it is not my day job


What is your best advice for working artists?

You are a small business, so you need to be organized


What do you want to be when you grow up?

A good husband/father/brother/son/artist/lawyer/writer/


What is on your desk right now?

My computer

Creativity blog tag!

Gretchen Miller at Creativity in Motion has tagged me in a game of creative blog tag - here goes:
Here are the rules I’ve received to play:

• You must post the rules
• Answer 11 questions the tagger posted for you
• Create 11 questions to ask the people you tag
• Tag 11 people
• Let them know you’ve tagged them

And here are my answers to the  “Creativity in Motion-esque” questions:

1. What is your most favorite art material or media to use in your personal art-making?
• Currently my favorite material is fiber - thread, yarn, string, fabric - combined with paint.
2. Favorite source for creative inspiration?
•  The Detroit Institute of Art and talking and working with my brother Colin Darke
3. Any tips for making the time to focus on your creative practice?
• Spending less time online would probably help... also, I sketch out projects I want to finish and put deadlines on my calendar - I don't get a whole lot of time each day to spend in my studio so I really need to know what I'm doing when I do get the time. Sometimes it's only a few minutes, so I might just spend that time sketching.
4. What artsy project are you working on right now?
• A large 50" x 60" fiber and painting piece, knitting socks, a business idea, writing about art, curating a fiber art show, beginning a collaborative art piece (still seeking participants!)...
5. Is there a particular art material, technique, or process you would like to learn more about or spend more time with?
• Encaustic is a medium that seems fascinating to me and I would love to try it. 
6. Biggest creative challenge you’ve experienced?
•  honestly, I think trying to work on large pieces in a small studio space and meeting a deadline for a show
7. What does creativity mean to you?
• Creativity is a part of everything we do - a lot of people seem to equate creativity with producing art (visual art or music or writing...) - but everyone uses creativity to solve everyday problems. A parent can be creative when cooking dinner; a teacher uses creativity when teaching new lessons and keeping students engaged; a businesses leader can be creative in boosting morale and productivity.
8. Favorite art related book you’ve read or would like to read?
• Wow, there are so many books out there... 
•  Art and Fear, Philosophy of Art textbook from undergrad art class, Writing Down the Bones, The Happiness Project - I'm currently reading Flow, Art Practice as Research, and On Writing Well.
9. Do you prefer to create alone or with others?
• Alone!
10. What role has social media and networking played in your creative practice?
•  It has been very inspiring to connect with other artists going through a lot of the same struggles and joys of creating art and making meaning.
11. Finish this sentence:  ”To create is to _____________________.’

• To create is to think visually. 

I am tagging these artists:
Colin Darke - The Detroiter
Abigail Doan
Joetta Maue
Emily Barletta
Lisa Call - Make Big Art
Pieter Wisse - 500 Photographers
Wendy Bernard - Knit and Tonic
Jolie B Studios
David Sandum
David Gerhard
Connie Hozvicka - Dirty Footprints Studio

Here are my questions for you:

1. Do you think visual art needs to be explained?
2. Who is your favorite artist that we may not know about?
3. Do you think art education should be a part of elementary core curriculum? 
4. What are your favorite online sources for art / creative news and information?
5. Have you ever worked on a collaborative art piece?
6. Do you show your work anywhere? Tell me about it.
7. Do you think there are specific roadblocks for women artists?
8. Do you work full time on your art?
9. What is your best advice for working artists?
10. What do you want to be when you grow up?
11. What is on your desk right now?

I’ll use the same disclaimer: There is no obligation to play along, so please don’t feel pressured because I tagged you!   I just love your blogs so I wanted other to see them too!  :)

work in progress - some stitching to start

Eventually, this piece will be 60" wide and 50" high - painting, fiber, whatever makes it work...

new Sibling Revelry collaborative artwork

Colin and I have been working on some new collaborative pieces - what do you think?

Call for artists / crafters for collaborative project

I am starting a collaborative fiber piece that involves the community - not just my local area, but everywhere. I want to collect scraps from everyone who would like to participate and connect them into one finished fiber piece. Traditional fiber arts have long been a source of communication and stress reduction, as in the quilting circles of the past, and current knitting nights, where artists gather to work on a quilt and talk with other artist/crafters. It's not always practical in our busy lives to get together for hours of artwork, so I would like to use technology to reach out and start a visual conversation with other artists and crafters - please join me in this collaborative art project.

When the piece is complete I would like to auction it to raise money for a non-profit that I'm starting that will provide art education and art therapy to children and their families.

"Repair" - mixed media 2012

Here are the participation guidelines:
- send me an envelope with your scrap of fabric, yarn, ribbon, paper... from your current art project or from something else you have been working on.
- Include a 3x5 index card with your name, email, links to your stuff online, and a description of where (what project) your scrap came from.
- by participating you agree to the following:
-- you are donating your scraps and will not get any compensation in return (except the joy of being part of an awesome collaborative art project!)
-- you agree to let me post information about your project and any links to you online that you provide. (I will not post anything about you that you don't want me to).
- there are no costs to participate other than the postage for mailing the envelope to me
- I will post images of work in progress at least once a week depending on participation

you will need to send an email to kelly@kellydarke.com to let me know you are interested and I will send you an address to mail your envelope.

Roadblocks for women artists?

"Expected" - collage 2010

I was recently interviewed by TheDetroiter blog for a series about women artists, since March is national women's month. One of the questions was "do you see any roadblocks for being a professional artist that are particular to women?" My answer leaned toward the idea that women are (generally in our society) expected to be everything to everyone at all times - happily and without question. I know logically that I am just as capable as a man to be a successful artist but for some reason I still feel a bit insecure. I feel confidant about my work - especially the fiber pieces I'm doing now - so I know the quality is there, but I still feel a little bit like I need permission. And that bothers me.

I was also curious about my children's perceptions of women. So I asked them. My daughter is 9 years old and I asked her if she thought being beautiful was important - "No" in a sarcastic, duh kind of way. And then I asked her what she thought about so many girls thinking beauty is more important than being smart - "That is crazy!" We talked about how women should be able to have any job she wants - to which my daughter added that it isn't fair that men sometimes still get paid more for the same job. I wonder what she would think of the current political mess over womens rights. And when I asked my son (6 years old) if he thought women could do whatever a man could do, he said "Yes. Except a woman can't lift up a car". I'm not sure why he thinks a man could lift up a car... So I clarified my question to whether he thought a woman should be able/allowed to try anything and he said "yeah",  kind of like I was asking a stupid question. So, it seems that so far my kids pretty much believe in equality for men and women and I hope it stays that way.

I would really like to hear more discussion about how other women artists feel about this question.

sunrise : fiber, paint, plastic : 30"x50"

Junko Oki - fiber art

ok, since I have nothing new of mine to show (stitching takes a really long time) here is some inspiring fiber art by Junko Oki. I love when I come across an artists work that, in a way, reminds me of my own work - this work reminds me of the feeling I get from my own work.

Work in Progress

This is a detail of a new fiber piece I am working on, which may not even be recognizable when it's completed...