Today we’d like to introduce you to Kelly Schafer.
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?
Well, I have always found great joy, comfort, and inspiration from both art and music. My educational and professional backgrounds are in the Visual Arts. Music is a lifelong passion from the angle of appreciation and fandom. I moved here twenty-two years ago after falling in love with my singer-songwriter husband and fell in love with Austin too! I’ve enjoyed a career primarily as a K-12 art educator and am endlessly motivated by children’s art; it’s so unafraid and fun! You’ll find that spirit in my work. My main purpose, and what I’m best at, is encouraging creativity in others, but a few years ago I finally got to the point of sharing my own art more publicly. The impetus to do so sprang from wanting and needing to connect in new ways. I adopted the moniker “Amped Art Studio” to reflect my enthusiasm and the source of so much of my inspiration- music!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Bumps in the road can shake things up and lead us to trying a new path which might sometimes wind up being an even more scenic adventure! When I had to leave teaching temporarily to care for my baby who had some health challenges, I found myself cut off from the usual stream of social interaction and creative collaboration I crave. I also wasn’t able to make it out for live music as much, which had been such a huge part of my former life. I started painting what I was missing and/or what I wished for in an attempt at manifestation, and through sharing, actually did manifest many new kinds of connections.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I create mixed-media artwork with a mission to celebrate, appreciate, and amplify! Music is the overarching theme in my work, but I freely apply and extend this to anything or anyone I think is cool and worthy of more attention. My portraits especially have invited fun interactions. Many of the people I’ve painted have played along by providing input, encouragement, and/or a seal of approval and thanks. Or in some cases, generations of their family members have reached out. Viewers will open up and share amazing stories which I likely never would have heard without the art as a spark. I am still at the point, and probably always will be, of having to dare myself to share my humble attempts, but every time I work up the nerve to do so has led to deeper education, admiration, and discovery. The heart of what I enjoy about creating and sharing my art is the same concept that Voyage Magazine is built upon- being inspired by other’s stories- especially those which might not be getting top billing in my own community. What sets my art apart is that preference for supporting local (Many of my portraits have been of people who had never been painted before) and my willingness to be playful to the point of downright goofy at times…Working with kids, and having my own, reminds me to have FUN with art, to be open-minded when it comes to materials and processes and subject matter, and not to take myself too seriously. The absolute best is when I am able to directly collaborate and my art is able to lend feel-good support to what others are doing.
Any big plans?
My niche so far is doing little things with big heart. I always have ideas cooking and lots of work in progress. I am super excited about a surprise interactive piece that will be realized later this spring thanks to some handyman/handywoman support from my sister and brother-in-law- it might be the silliest thing I’ve created yet and I’m hoping it can travel around to spread lots of smiles! 🙂 The possibilities for musician portraits I’d like to do feel endless so there will be more of those, and I hope in my own small way to remind people to support their local musicians as much as possible – in Austin especially, we need to do MORE to value those who truly create the culture. My recent return to teaching means less personal time for creating but loads of fresh ideas that will eventually come to fruition. Finally (not to sound too “cringey” as my sons like to warn me about), I have been thinking a lot about the ripple effect in terms of positivity, and ripples/soundwaves/energy waves/repeated line patterns are showing up a lot in my current work…sometimes the simplest, abstract doodles on the surface are the most deeply meaningful, and the process behind them therapeutic. The basis for the ripple is that I feel beyond lucky to be surrounded by so much inspiration, and I will do my best to pay that forward by adding my own small something to the conversation in the hopes of keeping it going…Win-win-win scenarios are indeed possible and something I will continue to seek out. 🙂
Contact Info:
- Email: kelly@ampedartstudio.com
- Website: www.ampedartstudio.com
- Instagram: @AmpedArtStudio
- Facebook: @AmpedArtStudio
