We recently connected with Kelly Money and have shared our conversation below.

Kelly, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

I always loved painting and being creative. Determined to pursue it, I went to art school and graduated with a bachelor of fine art majoring in Painting from Mason Gross School of the Arts, Rutgers University. That said, I still spent many years after graduation taking classes with various instructors and enrolling in different schools and workshops. If I saw an opportunity to learn something new or improve my ability I would and continue to enroll. I think being open to learning is key and I’m always learning. Currently I work with a mentor and take workshops and classes whenever I can. As I honed in on painting clouds and skies my focus narrowed more towards the landscape but I still draw and paint other subjects to improve my ability to see.

Knowing what I know now and in a perfect world I would have gone to an atelier or academy of art instead of or in addition to my liberal arts education. I always knew I wanted to be an artist so I would have dedicated more time to learning drawing and painting in the more traditional sense in a school that exclusively focused on the arts. Taking classes like Dinosaurs and Human Aggression while interesting in college has not exactly helped me in my career!

I would have focused more on the basics such as value, composition, and color and really worked towards becoming technically more proficient in my work.

The skills I see as being most essential are really learning the materials, drawing, value, color, composition, etc. Once you have a solid understanding of these concepts I think it allows for more freedom in the work and you can be creative without worrying about a painting holding together. I also think learning certain things about the business of art are really helpful such as selling, marketing, approaching galleries, etc and wish there had been more of a focus on this in school for me.

The obstacles that stood in the way of learning more were time, money and family. The first – time- when I was young and even sometimes now I have trouble with time management. Life gets busy and making time for art isnt always easy but its really important if you want to improve and make it a career. There’s no getting around it, you have to put in the hours. Money- because after graduation I had to make a living and art wasn’t cutting it! So again, time management around making the time to do art even after working long hours at a day job. And now family. Having kids and juggling schedules can make it challenging but I know if I want to be a good mom I have to keep doing what I love which is painting. My family knows this and allow me the space to create. I’m grateful for that.

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

Well I knew I always wanted to be an artist so that was a given and I kept painting and drawing in whatever capacity I could after graduation. I always held art related jobs to keep myself in the field. That said, I got side tracked for a bit and after a stint in medical sales which thank god I was laid off from, I immersed myself again in painting and studied with various instructors in the Philadelphia region. From that involvement I met other artists and began entering juried shows and competitions as well as becoming active in the local art leagues. That was how I really began showing and selling my work and honing in on my particular style of painting.

My work moved towards the landscape as I live in a beautiful rural area with vast open skies. I’m also an avid traveler and often drawn to places with wide open spaces. Through a lot of experimentation I discovered my love of clouds and the even greater discovery they made me happier than anything else to paint. I loved the movement and what they represent. The color relationships and challenges they provide. With small children I found it calming and loved “losing myself in the clouds” as well as just the act of painting. So my focus started revolving around cloudscapes and I explored as many ways to paint them as I could. I still do. What separates my work from others is its a combination of various styles and uniquely mine. I don’t try to be overly realistic or abstract but a combination of both seeing and intuition. There’s definitely some emotion in there too.

People recognize my work for many reasons but one of best things I’ve heard is it takes them to a place they’ve never been. This is often how I feel when I’m painting so I’m glad that is coming through. The act of painting for me is very meditative and spiritual and its the place I feel most alive and connected.

Currently my work is available through

Gallery Piquel in Lambertville, NJ and New Hope, PA www. gallerypiquel.com
Elliot Fouts Gallery in Sacramento, CA efgallery.com
Prints available through Minted minted.com

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

A story that illustrates my resilience! Oh yes.

My Dad always told me my greatest quality was my gift of perseverance. I might have to agree with him. It’s a necessary part of becoming an artist. This is not an easy path for sure.

For most artists they simply are not in a position to get to do this as much as they’d like unless they have the resources. Over the course of years the painting can so easily take a backseat. Especially when you’ve had a long day and are tired. But to do this requires time and commitment. One story I have about my resilience is when my second son was born. I was exhausted! Tired from being up all night with a new baby and not really wanting to do anything creative. I had learned from my first child that I needed to have some time to myself, even if for just a few hours a week. That was my time to create. So when my son napped or the times my husband could watch him I would paint. I have photos from that time of the baby in the swing and my easel set up behind him. Setting this structure up early made it easier for me to have a routine when he was in school. Today I am fortunate enough to to get to do this full time but it took many years of setting that time aside for myself to create. I think its really really important for children to see their parents doing what they love. Another artist told me this years ago and I never forgot it.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist is the sense of freedom I have. I get to do what I love every single day. On most days its not work. It’s more like playing. Certainly there are aspects that are not so much fun and days where the painting is a struggle but for the most part I can’t think of another place I’d rather be. It’s my connection to my self and as mentioned previously the place I feel most alive, most myself and most connected to the spiritual realm.

Contact Info:

• Website: Kellymoneyfineart.com
• Instagram: @kellymoneyart
• Other: GalleryPiquel.com Efgallery.com Minted.com

Image Credits
Laura Tripaldi Photography