We were lucky to catch up with Kelly Clark recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Kelly , thanks for joining us today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?
I’ve been creating art since I was two years old, so it was never really a question of whether I wanted to pursue it as a career – it chose me. My brother and I were very lucky to have an incredible art education in upstate New York with one of the best art teachers – Frank Vurraro, a man whom I still worship as a god. He inspired many of his students to go into a career in the arts, and one of the reasons that I became an art teacher.
Kelly , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
Hello! I am a high school photography teacher in northern San Diego County, an artist, and a woman blessed with wanderlust. I first got involved in photography when I was in high school, but it wasn’t until I was studying abroad in Florence, Italy, that I undeniably fell in love with the medium. The camera gave me purpose to engage with strangers, dive into the culture, cuisine, architecture and the Italian landscape. Traveling with a camera satisfied my creative hunger and enabled me share what I discovered with others.
As a photography teacher I push myself to introduce my students to techniques such as light painting, cyanotypes, advanced studio lighting and photo stories. Inevitably the assignments revealed a playfulness, brilliance and sometimes a deep, unexpected glimpse at the “other side” of my students. So, you see I’m both teaching the mechanics and aesthetics of photography, and then my kids come back with stuff that inspires me every day.
When I’m not teaching, I’m in my painting studio at the Art Hatch building in Escondido. It’s a space that I share with local photographer Stephen Davis. It’s my happy place where I experiment to my heart’s content with printmaking, painting, and more. And I get to show it off during open studios and gallery openings on the second Saturday of each month.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
One of the most rewarding aspects of being an artist is sharing my work with others. I love hearing that I encourage people to cut loose, to make their own work, to be proud of their vision whether it be with a camera or a paintbrush. I find creativity to be a liberating, non-judgmental way to make art both with people face to face and the imaginary souls in my own mind. At its best, social media extends the participation and enables others to love it or leave it. But, without a doubt, when I’m eye-to-eye with my students, I can yearn for the gifts of their creative pride and joy.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
Whenever I’ve been through tough times, art has been there. I was in Manhattan on 911. I quit my sales job to become an art teacher to help others and myself through art. It helped ease the stifling hopelessness; it opened the door to personal empowerment. Years later when I was living by myself during the Covid lockdown, I used art as meditation, to ease the loneliness and the achingly passage of time. During the lock down I organized a zoom figure drawing workshop. The weekly sessions created a community of like-minded talent and provided gainful employment to models. We had models and artists from all over the world and honestly, it was one of the best unexpected consequences of Covid.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.kellyclarkcreative.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/kellyclarkcreative
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kellyclarkmoncure/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@KellyClarkCreative
Image Credits
©Kelly Clark