Throughout October and November, I found myself deep into a collection inspired by Joy (my favorite state of being). And for a while, I was really into it. You might have seen some of the work-in-progress photos. I was really excited that a vision was beginning to crystalize. A collection was starting to take shape. Then I hit a wall. Nothing was working. The pieces felt forced and disjointed. The inspiration was gone. Damn it. So, I did what any self-respecting, courageous artist would do. I got out the white paint and painted over all that work. Sigh. I will…
Author: Kristen Marie Schuerlein Ferry
Kristen Marie Schuerlein Ferry
We vote with our time and our money. If you want to know what's important to me, notice what I do with my time and how I make and spend money. That sums it up.
Persistence is powerful. 9 years ago I left Seattle and moved to New Mexico. Why? A fire had been lit in me and I was ready to be an artist. And I knew if I stayed in Seattle, it would never happen. The distractions were too great. The pull to a life that I wanted out of was too strong. During that time, my art always seemed to take a back seat. There was always a new client, a meeting, a networking event, or, or, or. New Mexico gave me the fresh start, and the physical space I needed to…
“How Do You Measure Joy” progress.
August 2021: Well, it took me another 2 years, but finally I have a painting studio all my own. In September 2020 we bought Sky Oak Acres in the San Bernardino Mountains in Southern California. This summer I started painting again. Below is my post from May 2019 when I was getting my groove back. Now, things are in full swing. More on that to come. May 2019: After a six year break, I am back. Back to feeling like me. Back feeling free to create. Back to sharing about who I am and what I am up to. The…
I have hundreds of collages stuck in my head. They’ve been there for years. Strangely, whenever want to start to a collage, I get stopped in my tracks. Today I decided to start. Just put some paper on the canvas… and begin. So, here we are. Below are three little frames found at Goodwill that were painted black a couple of weeks ago. 11.10.19 Getting started. Today, I pulled out my 1945 Edition of Trigonometry for Home Study, ripped out six pages and decided to use them as the basis for what is to come. I suspect I’ll be back…
Back in the studio today after a long summer dry spell. Been dreaming about a new piece (well, actually I am dreaming of a six-piece series) and today was the day to start. For now, I am keeping the name under wraps. Instead, I thought it would be fun to photograph each step. Here we go… Charcoal under-sketch Blue… the basis for the idea. Calling it a day. Sunday progress… Everything was feeling too linear so, I decided to mix it up and add some movement with pastel. Then, it was time to start adding more depth. These layers are…
I am fascinated by money. Having it. Not having it. How we spend it, save it, invest it. The idea of “currency” and our cultural agreement that a piece of paper has a measurable, exchangeable value reminds me that at a very base level, we all agree on some things. Even if we disagree about what something is worth, we agree that a dollar is a dollar and $100 is $100. Years ago, I started a series called “Time & Money.” After all, they are what we “spend” everyday. As a result, I thought it be cool to use money……
Lately, I’ve been inspired to merge two of my worlds: spirituality and art. I have about half a dozen 30″ x 30″ canvases that I’ve hauled between our last 3 moves (yep, we are in house number four in over 6 years). I found them on Craigslist for a stupidly good price the night the seller was moving out of her apartment. As I recall is was like 10pm on a Friday night when I drove to pick them up and I remember thinking “what the hell are you doing?” you don’t have anywhere to paint! When I decided to…
6, 16″ x 20″ panels. Acrylic. Brush and putty knife. Photo by Kristen Marie Schuerlein Ferry For the first time since leaving my home/studio in New Mexico in 2013, I painted today. It feels so-f’ing-good. I started watching videos by Pamela Caughey Art a couple of days ago and in the process transformed from thinking about it (I started setting up new studio in the garage a couple of weeks ago), to taking action. What made today the day? Putting it on my schedule. Yesterday at 1 pm, I hit the road and started getting supplies. Today, I promised myself…
Photo by Kristen Marie Schuerlein Ferry I am not really sure how it happened. But somehow, somewhere along the line, I adopted a old, outdated, ridiculous idea that my male counterpart, my business partner, my man should be paid more than me… by businesses that we co-own. WTF Kristen Marie? The realization was a wake-up call… a midnight gasp for air coming out of a bad dream. How in the hell did I fall for it? How on EARTH did I allow this… No… how DID I SET IT UP so that he makes more money than I do, from…