Kathy Adams – Crew Interview

Where do you reside?
I’ve lived in South Carolina, USA, for the past 21 years. I first moved to Greenville, and presently live in Lexington, which is a suburb of the state capitol, Columbia. Before that, I lived in Michigan, Maryland and Pennsylvania. I am originally from Philidelphia.

Describe your design style…
I guess I would describe my style as eclectic since I love to experiment with lots of different styles. I love color! The brighter the better! I like to mix patterns also. I love for my art to have meaning, like a card made for a special person or an art journal with thoughts and ideas. I also like for my art to be useful, like a painted tote bag, or canvas to hang on the wall. Some of the techniques that I use over and over are layering and splattering. I’ve recently started experimenting with collage.

Who or what do you give credit to inspiring your creativity?
I’ve always been a creative person but I have to give credit to my high school art teacher, Mrs. Rosenberger, for really teaching me about art. She was a tiny, spunky woman, who required all of her students to memorize famous paintings and their artists, as well as create drawings, paintings, sculpture, batik and many other art forms. I believe this sparked a curiosity in me that is still present today. I also need to mention my dad, who is the original “upcycler”. He would go out on trash day and come home with some junky piece of furniture, then refinish into something better than it was before. I often “helped” him in his woodshop.

What inspires you today?
It’s inspiring to have a new product and try to incorporate it into something I already have. Mixed media art is always a challenge to me. You have to incorporate several different art mediums, creating different textures, patterns and dimensions and come up with something that works. This takes some experimentation, which I love, and sometimes the results are not great. But I always seem to learn something from the process.

What is your favorite Canvas Corp Brand Product? and why? Just one please!!!
I love all of the different canvas products that are available at Canvas Corp. I’ve used several of the journals and have also made my own out of the canvas sheets, incorporating burlap and other products to make it more interesting. Canvas is so versatile! I only sew creatively and can’t follow a pattern to save my life. But I love to sew pieces of painted canvas onto all kinds of projects. I also love to get creative with the canvas tote bags because they are such a great way to share my art in a useful way.

We asked Kathy to choose her favorite project she has created using CCB Products.

Why is it your favorite project?
I can’t pick just one! I LOVE this canvas beach mini journal because it reminds me of my feet touching the sand and sea. I also love that the image transfer technique I used to make the cover, which turned out better than I expected it to!
I also love the “Vision” mini canvas we were required to do when we joined the design team. I started with the 4′ x 4′ CCB canvas, used Tattered Angels paper and High Impact paints, then doodled on top with paint pens.

Do you teach and if so tell us a bit about what you teach, where you go and some of your favorite places?
I used to teach scrapbooking at a local store but have not taught anywhere since. It is something I’ve considered getting back into and may in the near future.

I am the happiest doing…
Creating with my dogs nearby. I also love being at the beach with my family and friends.

My favorite place to be creative…
I call my art studio my happy place! It used to be the kid’s playroom, and I took it over when they got older and didn’t need it anymore. It is now MY playroom!! And it’s always a mess! You will find me in my happy place, experimenting with acrylic paints, inks, pastels, wax, resin, clay, paper, canvas…nothing is off-limits!

Tell us one cool detail about your studio or craft space…
I am so blessed to have this space to create in! I organized it when I first set it up so I can find things, but it always seems to be a mess anyway!!

Tell us one thing fun about you we might not know…
A few months ago I did a major closet clean-out. I had lots of items that I didn’t want to just give away or sell for nothing at a yard sale. So I decided to start selling these items online. I enjoyed the process so much that I began searching for gently used name brands at local thrift stores to add to my own items. I now have over 125 items for sale on Poshmark.com. This site makes the whole process very easy. I also find the search for quality items really fun and it satisfies my need for a challenge. The extra money has been great too!

Share with us anything about your creative life that you feel would inspire others…
Spending time with other creative people is very important to me and keeps me feeling inspired. When I need inspiration, a trip to a gallery or art museum seems to do the trick, too.

Sign up to Receive Inspiring Content, Exclusive Offers and More!

Your information will *never* be shared or sold to a 3rd party.