Kristye Addison Dudley - Contemporary Fine Artist

Accord © by Kristye Addison Dudley Love is in the air. Being a military wife brings new appreciation to holidays. In 2013 my husband was deployed for every holiday from Dec 2012 to Mid July 2013. Which included my sons first Christmas, New Years Day, St. Patrick's Day, Easter, my daughters 3rd bday, my husband's birthday, Mother's Day, Father's Day, my 40th birthday, all long weekends and of course  Valentines Day. So this year I am going to hold him extra tight and celebrate how much I love him. Be blessed, Kristye Kristye.com   My Blog Purchase originals and prints   kdudley@kristye.com Tweet @KristyeStudio Like and share My Facebook Page Kristye's Studio    

Day 1 - "Cherry blossom's friend" © Kristye Addison Dudley 11" x 14" Acrylic on Paper; Purchase Original or Prints In the cherry blossom's shade there's no such thing as a stranger. Kobayashi Issa I am starting a new challenge this month, to paint one painting everyday for 30 days. I will be using this time to experiment with techniques, mediums and subject matter and get my creative "mojo" flowing again. Spring is a time to celebrate rebirth and I am ready to come out of hibernation. "Cherry blossom's friend" was created using brushed under painting and layering on a fresh spring pallet using a variety if pallet knives and sponge techniques. I look forward to hearing from you on my work. I will be offering the art for sale each day as well. Be blessed, Kristye kristye.com kdudley@kristye.com Purchase originals and prints

Happy New Year, I hope this new year is treating everyone well. I have started the new year off well traveling, seeing family and renewing my passion for painting and all things creative. My husband and I took a couples trip to New York City and that place always sparks so much creative energy in me. There is something about the heartbeat and pulse of the city that I had been missing. I have decided to embrace all parts of me and try to make are without rules. My good friend Erin and I were chatting online and she always has something motivational to share. She reminded me to have fun. Sometimes, I get so concerned with making "good" art, that I don't want to make mistakes. How silly is that! The best art sometimes comes from mistakes. So it's time to have some fun in 2014!!! So, in doing so I am going to share more about my work, paintings in progress and studio life in general. You know, the mistakes, the trial and error, the paths less taken.  Hope you are rea...

Reflections © Kristye Addison Dudley purchase prints This painting is called Reflections. I painted it years ago during a time when I was just pondering what my life would be like. Would I get married? Would I have kids? Those questions have been answered, but there are so many more like... Which do you prefer pizza or sandwiches? I have always been more of a pizza gal myself, but recently I seem to always end up with sandwiches, or actually IN sandwiches. What's my affinity for pizza? It's an open in your face complete meal. Sandwiches are sort of sneaky. Even though you know the ingredients, there are always surprises when the whole thing comes together. Right now my life is like that. It used to be sort of like a pizza. It was pretty easy to see what you were working with. But now, I am totally in a sandwich. I am in an interesting little tortilla wrap that is my family. It's odd being sandwiched between your kids, your deployed spouse, your parent and everyt...

As I look back over 2012, I can't overlook how my year began. I spent New Years Eve burying one of my friends. I was early in the first trimester of pregnancy and not ready to tell anyone. I was sad but hopeful about the year and felt the need to hold tight to my friends and family. Since then our family has grown and I am the proud mother of two kiddos. My spunky and creative little 2.5 yr old girl and my sweet smiling bouncing 4 month baby boy. My husband and I celebrated our 5 year wedding anniversary and together re-energized our marriage. His upcoming deployment helped us to not sweat the small stuff. My mother has been living with us and that has provided a much needed time to reconnect with her. I am getting to know the woman not just my Mama and in turn, she is seeing me as a mother. It's all very surreal. This new year is going to be a challenge full of surprises, but I am so thankful for another year, actually for another day to share with my family and frien...

 Do you remember that song "He's got the whole world in his hands"? I used to love that song! This morning before daycare my KJ awoke to an extra Christmas tree. We decided to put up two since this house is so large. This one is the "gold" tree. It has mostly gold decorations with a few red blubs and snow flakes. KJ likes the little red ones and was excited to add her own blubs to the tree. Watching her hold that little bulb made me think of the song. We have so much in our control day to day. Even with those things that are out of our control, we can choose how we deal with them. This month has continued to be a roller coaster for our family. My husbands deployment was initially cancelled. Then it was turned back on. Then, his training for the second deployment was cancelled and discussion of another cancellation was being discussed. Then on Wednesday of this week, we find out he has offical orders and he will be leaving in a couple of days and will be gone ...

"My perspective, your perspective" (Detail of diptych) © Kristye Addison Dudley January is almost over and I have only blogged once. I have got to get back to it! Well, here's an update. A memorial fund has been set up for Keasha, here is the link Keasha Rutlegde Draft Memorial . And I still can't believe that the new year started off with such a huge loss. I love you girl. On the home front, my 22 month old is settling in to all-things-toddler and keeping me and my husband very busy. My husband and I have been making plans on my career change and recently found that "our" best laid plans had some flaws. That's probably because, our plan veered slightly off of God's plan. The painting above has a partner that is right side up. It's always reminded me of how different a situation can appear from your point of view. Sometimes you need a new perspective. And I thank God for that. "Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is w...

Thy Will Be Done - Acrylic on Canvas © Kristye Addison Dudley Purchase Print * It's been an interesting start to the year. I have been asked numerous times "How was your holiday?" I know that people are asking out of routine, because usually the response is "It was great. How was yours?" Then we fall in line with the dance of sharing all the good things that happened. I have had a harder time staying in step with this dance this year. The response "We went to a funeral for one of my college friends." Is not what people really want to know and I try not to over share. But that is the truth. We had a great Christmas eve. We spent it surrounded by our close friends. We had a great Christmas Day. We enjoyed a church service and spent the afternoon opening gifts and hanging out eating left overs from the night before. The next couple of days were just as lazy, until I received the call that changed the tempo for New Years. We drove from Louisiana to S...

 Intuition - 30" x 40" Acrylic on Canvas © Kristye Addison Dudley Do you listen to those voices in your head? Do you sense danger by feeling the hairs on your arms stand up? Whatever your signal is that keeps you moving in the right direction that's true intuition and the higher power moving in your life. Earlier in the year I went to a women's retreat where we were discussing being anointed, transformed and redeemed. We talked about discernment and getting clear path from God. One of the speakers talked about the difference between "Good ideas and God ideas". That really stuck with me. I sometimes feel my head is going to burst with ideas and I don't know which way to go. Sometimes I hear clear next steps and then things usually go smoothly. But other times, I go on impulse and things always take more effort, cost more money and require more work than if I had just followed my intuition and waited. This painting was created in a time of stilln...

Hand sculpted ceramic figure © Kristye Addison Dudley I have always loved working with my hands. From building mud pies as a child to painting, I really find that the creative process of making something feeds my soul. The figures that I paint have always had a life of their own, but I have wanted to see them as 3D figures. So I just took a leap of faith and started to pull them off of the canvas. Small collections of figures like this, will soon be available on my site in limited editions. If there is a painting that you would like to see in 3D just let me know. I find myself always driven to make things. I can't seem to find enough things do do with my hands. The trouble comes in when instead of doing, I start to think and plan about the details. The devil truly is in the details. I am going to search for some new projects for this fall. I have been wanting to try to make jewelry. Maybe that's next for my busy hands. Blessings to you all, Kristye kdudley@kristy...

At Ease © Kristye Addison Dudley There are a few things about living in the south that are often talked about, but there are hidden rules that we abide by too. One of those things happened to me last week. In the south, we pull over for funeral processions. I remember growing up and seeing the cars go by and not understanding why we stopped and pulled over on the side of the road. My mother would say, we are showing our respect to the family who lost someone. I never really asked why, I just learned this was how it was done. This week while I was grabbing lunch, I saw a procession coming my way so I pulled over to the side of the road. I was kind of in a hurry, with a long list of things to-do, but for those few moments, I took some time to pay my respects to a family who had lost a loved one. I didn't know the family, but I have felt the loss. I took time to pray for them and for my family. So in the South, we do lots of strange things. As a matter of fact we do a lot of ...

"Iron Sharpens Iron" 24" x 24" © Kristye Addison Dudley Whew, I am tired. But, I am the best kind of tired. My brain is tired, but I keep thinking of new projects to do! The commission shown was a purchased as a gift. My good friend Dr. Antwan Treadway wanted a gift for his mentor, Dr. Paul E. Gates, brother of Dr. Henry Lewis Gates. I found a scripture that gave me inspiration to create this work. Psalm 27:17 Iron sharpens iron and one man sharpens another. We went through a number of drafts, and he selected this theme. The reflection of mentor and student. I have really found that using the palette knife and expanding my colors has brought an exciting dimension to my work. This painting does make me want to reach out to people who have encouraged me along the way. There are so many people that have in large and small ways touched my life and helped me to grow. That includes you. Thank you for reading my blog and sending your kind comments. Until ne...

Stephanie Blank (wife of NFL Atlanta Falcons owner), "In the Huddle" 36" x 48" © Kristye Addison Dudley In 2002, while I was a professional cheerleader with the Atlanta Falcons, I participated in a charity auction. Although I have drawn since I was a child, majored in fine art and received a graduate degree in graphic communications, I still found (find)  myself feeling insecure about my art. I think it's because when I share my work, I am not just sharing an image. I am sharing a part of myself. Exposing those things that most of us write only in our journals. My journals are there for the world to see and built by my own hands. When it's not accepted, it's like being personally rejected.  This was the first painting that I was publicly  displaying and I was pretty terrified about it. First of all, when approached about the painting I said "I don't do Football players", and didn't think that my work would work for this venue...

Figure Study - acrylic on canvas with palette knife © Kristye Addison Dudley A few of our friends were in town last weekend and they were coming over to hang out. So you know what that meant...we had to straighten up around the house. It's so funny how we get in a habit of just moving things around without really getting organized. Then before you know it, everything is a mess a again. Our little toddler, aka "Sticky Fingers Dudley", has a masterful way of getting into EVERYTHING. Sometimes I just sit back and marvel at her cunning and acrobatic feats of strength to get to that one object that is seemingly out of reach. But more times than not, she finds a way. Sometimes I get frustrated with the things that are out of my control, instead of just letting God take charge. I can learn a lot from Sticky Fingers Dudley. I can stay focused on those things that are right there in front of me and challenge myself to make the most of the things that I can control. Like keeping t...

Dock at Sunrise - Mixed Media - Watercolor and Photo © Kristye Addison Dudley I was always Daddy's little girl. I was basically his shadow as soon as I could walk. He was an architect and a professor. I still consider him to be the smartest person I've ever known. He taught me to draw and see the world in a completely new way. When it was time for me to choose a major in college he asked me, "What would you do whether you got paid for it or not?". I said I would travel the world and paint. So, I majored in art. Now that my husband is a Daddy, I can see my little girl following him around! And already at 14 months she is a total Daddy's little girl. I can't be jealous of all the attention he gets, now I know how my mother must have felt. I am sure that he will be giving KJ lots of advice and I hope that she knows that one day she can live out her wildest dreams and fulfill her life's passions. My Father's birthday was on Monday June 13, he would ha...

More Paintings at KristyeAddison.com Latest Painting from Retreat. Acrylic on canvas, using palette knife.

Hello, I am venturing out into the big world of blogging. I hope this provides and opportunity for you to get to know me and for me to get to know you. I just returned from the most amazing art retreat and workshop at Selah Ranch with Texas Contemporary Artist Laurie Justus Pace . The weekend was more than just about painting, I had a chance to connect with some amazing women at the retreat. I really tried to step out of my comfort zone and try new things. I have always enjoyed acrylic painting, but I tried oils. I love figure painting, so I tried a landscape. I tend to lean toward earth tones, so I painted with bold bright colors. The whole expreience has enriched my life and I look forward to building new relationships with my friends. This was the longest amount of time I have spent away from my 1 year old daughter KJ. She is of course the most beautiful child on the planet in my eyes. When I returned home, my sweetie pie had two new teeth!!! They grow so fast. My husband wa...