We recently connected with Kathleen Stelick and have shared our conversation below.

Kathleen , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

I have been playing with pigments and imagery since I was a child, as any child does. My exception was that my mom worked in craft stores, Michael’s and Joanne’s, where I would go to the small classes in the back rooms while she worked. The smell of these stores is the most nostalgic and comforting to me. I grew up my whole life painting flowers and suns and moons on various doors, cabinets, windows, and basically anything I was allowed to paint. It was never a thought in my mind though that I was a painter or some sort of artist. It is the strangest thing to me, I thought this was normal. Up until high school, I had no conceptual thought of this being anything but as normal was watching morning cartoons. I never thought of it as a skill, I never thought of it as a future. I was a sophomore when I had my first art class with Mr. Hart. He inspired me and encouraged me and really believed I was an artist. By the time I was a senior, I was his teacher assistant, in the art room for 4 hours per day, and was awarded the artist achievement award both by my class and by him. I still was not aware of this being a future. I was always encouraged to go to school to become an art teacher. I really believed that was my only option at the time. I instead, pursued my personal life and explored the world as well as love, as any 19-21 year old does. And when I found myself with a broken heart and no longer recognizing myself, I sought out art again. The internet at this time was really expanding, Instagram was flooded with amazing artists and opportunities to learn from them. I found myself inspired by the psychedelic, festival, surreal artists. I had never seen anything like it, the lighting and message was beyond anything I had ever been exposed to. I was bartending during this time and art was a hobby. I would typically only take on commissions for much less than the headache they were worth. And as for my personal artwork, it was infamously “never finished” therefor, not for sale. I was convinced that bartending was the life for me, and the universe was angered with this settlement. I moved into my very own space for the first time, at 28 years old, and swore to myself I was happy and content with the job I was working and the pace I was creating at. Three months after moving in, this house burnt down due to the downstairs tenant and a cigarette. I had nothing to my name now except a bag of cash, my dog, my laptop, and amazingly my paints survived. All my paintings were ruined, I had no clothes, I had no real belongings, and this was the moment I knew. I knew it was time to be for real about this life, and the weightlessness that I was given by this tragedy was priceless. I booked a trip with the cash I grabbed the next day to Italy to study with the Visionary Art Academy for 5 weeks. I later moved across the country to live with an artist and found success in selling my artworks for the first time. The path has most recently led me to a tattoo apprenticeship. Now, every single day I am surrounded by art and amazing artists. Now being at such an early phase of this chapter, I can not wait to see what happens next.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Finding the sub-category I best belong to as an artist has been a beautiful challenge. As I explore what it is I believe I want, the thing I want changes. Similar to a turning kaleidoscope, as a new picture is shown to you, the former is impossible to see again. In my earlier years, I wanted nothing more than to be a live painter at festivals. It seemed so ideal and so special to be a part of these amazing productions and to preform for so many people. I was so quick to glorify the lifestyle, and once I got a taste of it, I admittedly was eager for more. I fortunately learned quickly that painters are not treated with the same caliber of courtesy as musicians, that surrounding myself with drugs and alcohol is disheartening, and that I deserve more.

I have found the most joy and fulfillment in collaborative painting. When you find a person who can let go and open their mind with you to what is possible as a team, rather than to only what you know as an individual, something totally new and almost alien is born. Painting as collaboration is really opening me up past my limitations. When I paint alone, I am left to my own bad habits and only have myself to be accountable for. As a team, I have someone else to consider and the energy reverberates between us, keeping motivation buzzing rather than fizzing out. The drive to finish and stay on track is so powerful, as is the drive to try something totally new.

My work is always changing, which is perhaps not something algorithms favor. I sometimes wish I had a more distinct style. I think most artists wish for this. I know only that I love to paint women, faces, and surreal feelings of beauty and inner power.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

There are a number of rewards. Firstly, you are allowed a chance to really witness your own growth as a person. This is always reflected through your artwork and if you use it as a tool to grow, than even more so. Thankfully, we all have phones and document so much now that this happens secondary to just existing in a digital space.
Secondly, meditation comes as habit and not something “to do”. The insight and peace you get while creating is a drug in itself. The “art high” is crazy, I show up to the canvas for that alone. It feels like love, bliss, an open heart, an open mind, alignment, and it feels like total soul food. I wish I could share this feeling with everyone I know..
Thirdly, there is great reward in seeing how art can help support others. I lost a great friend of mine who was a huge part of my path as an artist. I painted a portrait of him and offered prints to help raise money for funeral costs. This raised $500 for his family and now his portrait is weaved amongst his loved ones, banded together to show support and love and hold his memory in highest of respects.

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

I really believed that after high school the only option was college. The thought of going to college for art was so unattractive to me and I am so thankful for my intuition guiding me away from this path. When I learned of workshops and weekend art retreats I knew this was the way. I was 25 when I went to my first workshop and learned about the Mische technique. Meeting and learning from someone I looked up to, and being surrounded by likeminded people was exactly what I needed. Immerse into the art, be challenged, get out of my comfort zone and then take all that I learned back with me. I decent to four retreats, one per year, as if it was college. One year I went to Mexico for 10 days to learn the art of portraiture. I didn’t have to cook, clean, worry about anything except painting for ten days. This makes so much more sense to me than going to school. The price of one year of school would easily pay for all four retreats and then some. The feedback from those who I met at these retreats, who had also attended art school was that they learned more in 5 days than in 4 years. Totally worth it and I only wish I did more of them.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://stellarr.bigcartel.com/
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/stellarr.art