Kelly Gowan is Our Latest ArtResin Winner!

Congratulations to artist Kelly Gowan, our latest ArtResin winner!  Kelly is a mixed media artist who works from her home studio in Holly Lake Ranch, East Texas: 

"The type of art I create is a mixture of styles. I blend resin with various paint mediums and sometimes 3D items to give a sculptural appearance. I work in all mediums but resin often seems to be a part of my creations.  People just love the glossy wet look and unique effects you can achieve with the use of ArtResin. I like combining nature themes mixed with a modern abstract look."

Does where you're from or where you currently live influence your work?

Absolutely.  I love living by water and currently live on a lake in East Texas.  I look at the colors of all my surroundings from the shades of water reflections on the lake made by the different times of day and year, to the tall pines, rolling farm lands and endless sunsets and sunrises.  I am also a beach bum at heart and love going to the beach.   I am 52 yrs old and I don’t think a year of my life has gone by without stepping my toes in the sand.

What's your art background?  Are you self-taught or did you study art? 

I do have artists in my family, but my work is entirely self-taught.    I am constantly researching, studying and learning new techniques to futher my artist capabilities.

Are you a full-time artist or do you create around work hours?

I am a full time artist.   In 2014 we moved from the Dallas Fort Worth area to the county. I am a stage II Breast Cancer Survivor.   We wanted to enjoy nature and slow down in life and get out of the city.   It is literally 1 hour to a Sam’s Club or Target! When we moved, I started painting.  My husband suggested I look into selling them, so I listed them online and they started selling to Facebook Execs in CA, and all over the US and worldwide, such as Denmark, Germany, France, Switzerland, and Singapore.

What do you love about the mediums that you use in your work? 

I love how you can use resin to create so many different styles of art.  You can mix in sand, rock, crystals…to give your art texture.  I like adding in powders, alcohol inks, and acrylics to see how it moves and creates amazing designs.

How did you discover resin? 

That is a good question.  I don’t remember.  But I do remember the ArtResin videos that I used to follow with Dave and Rebecca.  I loved their examples of use and inspiration on new ways to use resin.

How has resin impacted your artwork? 

Resin has made a huge impact on my art mainly because it is my most requested medium, especially from my interior designers and custom art collectors.   It allowed me to merge other art mediums and styles I had with resin to create entirely new looks.

Can you provide a brief rundown of your process? 

Every resin project is different.  But there are some basics . I always prefer doing resin on a wood panel.  Sometimes, I will do a canvas, but I like to save every drop of resin and I don’t want it to pool, so I go towards wood panels and work solely with Sunbelt Mfg for all those products.  I would love to give them a shout out if you can in this article. I always prime my wood panels with a spray paint.  I do the front very well and the sides to protect the wood from any elements that I might be experimenting with in my resin.  I also like to use colored primer, so that I can do come clear resin in my art and that primed color base peaks through.  I usually never pour only one layer of resin.   I also love letting resin start to harden and then to pull through it with my hands with gloves on or use tools to get the resin to have texture.  And again, depending on the art, I use a heat gun or torch to move the resin, pop bubbles, etc.

Why do you want to make art? What motivates you to create?

I make art because it makes me happy.  Because I love the challenge of making my vision come to fruition.  I also love to create because it is a time where your thoughts are forced to cease into only art related ones.  The idea. The process and steps I will take. The formation of the painting as it unfolds in the creation. I very much then love to share the art.  When people love it as much as I do I get a natural high! I just love it.

Does art help you in other areas of your life?

For sure. Art has given me confidence in who I am.  I am an artist.  That is so amazing to say.  It is something that I can say with confidence since I began full time in 2014 at 40 years old.   It also has allowed me to connect with so many amazing people.  Other artists, collectors and new friends. It is a huge community and has grown so much over the past 10 years even with social media at our finger tips.

What do you hope someone sees or feels when they look at your art?

I hope they see hope, love, and beauty.   What I notice though is that everyone sees something different.  But the main emotion I love to have people feel is tranquility.

How do you define success as an artist? What does that look and feel like for you?

Success for me is creating artwork that I am so in love with every time that I hate to part with it.  It is knowing that I only call something finished when I am ready to really show it to the world and I can’t wait for them to see it.   Success has been in selling out of artwork at show, at being able to create full time because people love and want my art.   Success is me being happy in what I do and making others happy along the way.

What's your favorite resin tip you'd like to share with our readers? 

Preparation!  Get your room ready.  Your table covered twice, flat and level.  Level your canvas. Prime your canvas. Work in a clean room, with little to no dust.  Use the ArtResin calculator every time.  Always wear gloves and a mask.  Have your wipes read to wipe off your skin.  Always wear your art clothes. Don’t pour too much at once, be patient. Have a second primed smaller canvas handy, in case you have extra resin mixed, so you don’t waste it.

Where do you sell your work?

I have a website, Facebook and Instagram and people will reach out to me when they see art they love. Mostly I get commissions.  I also sell my work on www.saaitchi.com .  I also sell my work out of Giddens Gallerys and I work lots with interior designers.

ArtResin:  The Original Epoxy for Resin Art.