Today we’d like to introduce you to Kelly Sparks
Hi Kelly, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I’ve been drawing since I was very young, and I was fortunate to always have support to do so. My teachers gave me extra time and materials to make art. My mom bought me the nice colored pencils and paints at art supply stores. She let me paint on the walls and use anything around the house to create with.
I grew up in the 1980’s, a great time for a budding fantasy artist. We had unicorns and magic everywhere in our cartoons, movies, toys, stickers, stationery, bedsheets etc. I learned to draw horses from a small paperback Scholastics book that I studied very thoroughly.
In high school, I copied and emulated drawings from my brother’s comic collection. I won a contest called “Make a Monster” that was advertised in magazines and grocery store candy displays. The prize was ten thousand dollars for my school and a trip to Florida for me. That gave me the courage to apply for scholarships to an art college.
I have bachelor’s degree in illustration from the Columbus College of Art and Design. I started studying animation but gave up pretty quickly, and focused more on three-dimensional illustration, which was my work-study job.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The road has most definitely not been smooth. I had children right after college, and I found making artwork and raising children in a small home was nearly impossible. As they have grown, I’ve had more time to find time and space and quiet to create. I feel like I’m playing catch-up with admired peers who’s careers are more established.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I specialize in depicting unicorns and horses. Drawing horses is a sort of meditation I enjoy. You could call it a fixation! I’ve ridden and owned horses. I have studied horse anatomy for fun, since I was young. I can’t seem to draw a horse without adding a unicorn horn, though. I blame the 80’s. Horses are particularly difficult to draw correctly, so my years of focus on that have made my work stand out.
I’ve also found that people really love my cat portraits. I’ve spend a good deal of time around cats, as well.
We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
Success is living a quiet, comfortable life. Paying the bills with my art is a Naomi’s.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://kellysparksart.com
- Instagram: https://Www.instagram.com/kellysparksart
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kellysparksart
Image Credits
Jenn Nordstrom