We hope you enjoy getting to know more about Kara in this interview! She’s a true Master!
How did your art journey begin? What got you into art?
I’ve always been a crafty person, but I never considered myself to be artistic. In fact, the art section was the one section of the craft stores that I would avoid! It wasn’t until grad school that I tried anything artistic. I met a friend in class who had experimented with paint pouring and she convinced me to give it a go. I was instantly hooked and that experience gave me the confidence to try resin just a few months later. Once I discovered the ocean art that could be made with resin, I was hooked!
I think the most satisfying part of working with resin is seeing the waves form. That is when the piece really starts to take shape and look like the ocean.
Living through Midwestern winters with gray skies and snowy roads is difficult for a beach lover like me. Looking at pictures of tropical beaches would always help to lift my mood when I was struggling with the winter blues. Now, those pictures serve as inspiration for my art. There’s just something about bright, tropical waters and light sandy beaches that speaks to my heart.
I have a really unscientific approach to my work…I create pieces that resemble beaches I would like to visit! For example, I love visiting a beach when the water is a bit calmer because the translucency of the water is the focal point. Even when I have a lot of wave action going on in a piece, I always try to build translucent layers because that is a feature that I want to highlight. I guess you could just say that I follow my heart when it comes to art.
Experimenting has always been a part of my artistic process. When I was starting with resin art there were no courses to take and other creators were very tight-lipped on their products and techniques. This was a time when Instagram was mostly still photos, so I had to learn by trial and error. In the process, I discovered that I liked to learn through experimentation. Most of my experiments are failures and those pieces never make it to my Instagram or website but I usually learn something in the process. Even when I don’t learn anything, there is value in creating, simply for the sake of creating.
The great part about being an artist is that you can always have a new favorite! Currently, my favorite piece is this large round seascape. It has an exposed coral reef with ancient columns and the color of the water is a gorgeous turquoise color. It hasn’t sold yet, so I’m still able to enjoy it!
Overall, my favorite part of the process is creating the waves on a piece. On a day-to-day basis it can vary based on my mood and what’s going on in my life. Sometimes I just really enjoy mixing resin and other times I absolutely hate it!
Sanding…I hate sanding! It’s just so messy and if I get saw dust on me I start to feel really itchy!
Remember your why…by that, I mean the reason you started to create art. It’s easy to get distracted by trying to build your social media accounts and generate sales, but that’s not your main focus as an artist. I started creating art as a way to help with depression and when my art starts to feel too much like “work,” that’s when I pull back and set aside time to create and get lost in the process.
Where can people find your work?
You can find me on Instagram - @Kara.ivey.art, Facebook – Kara Ivey Art, and TikTok - @kara_ivey_art