Kristye Addison Dudley - Contemporary Fine Artist

2020 Turning Over a New Leaf Leaf Study by Kristye Addison Dudley This past year we were pretty busy. We started the year enjoying our extended assignment in overseas traveling and planning for our move. Then in February we started to manage life during a strict Italian Pandemic lockdown that lasted until June! In June, we were moving our family from our 5 year overseas adventure stateside. In July we were navigating unpacking and establishing a home in Ohio, Mark started his residency, and he learned to fly. By August, the kids and I embarked on our homeschool journey. When September arrived, we felt like we had finally found our groove. Then Wednesday, September 30, I felt a pain in my lower abdomen.  Thursday the pain was in my lower left abdomen and pain went down my leg. I took it easy that day, but by evening we knew something was wrong.  Early Friday morning October 2, I went to the ER. The family dropped me off, they couldn’t enter because of COVID. I was give...

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...

My dream car 1958 Corvette Ok, so one of my friends on Facebook posted this list of things people didn't know about him, the viewer was to then post the numbers that they knew and then you were given a number to make your own list. He gave me the number 7.  So here are 7 things most people don't know about me. It took 3 towns to make up my High School. I love to take things apart and make them better. Closet handy-woman who owns a Dremel and lots of other power tools. I am a kitchen beautician. I have been doing my own hair for the better part of 20 years. I am an art supply hoarder. Everything from screen-printing to ceramics, photography, painting and so much more. I have a patent and a registered trademark for my graphic design biz. I am one of the very few Black Homecoming Queens for Clemson University. (I was the second or third in school history) My dream car is a 1958 corvette. Baby blue with white detail to be specific. The one pictured ab...

Love is in the air! February 2013, MJ (6 months old) and KJ (2 yrs old)  at dinner. I  can't believe my last post was February of 2013! Ok, I am going to try and catch you up! In March 2013 I started to get the hang of my husband being deployed. I knew who to call when I needed help, my mother was figuring out how to use the washing machine, the remote control, how to assist at the potty and how to calm a crying baby. I was working on running a 5K, freelancing part-time as a graphic designer, taking KJ to gymnastic class and making it to my Diva Dance class once a week. My husband was managing his deployment and always made time to talk to the family each and every day. Then late in the month seasonal allergies and illness seemed to overtake my home. By the end of April, I had taken everyone to the doctor at least once. April also was the month that I delivered my husbands birthday gift. A video of friends and family wishing him happy bday. His care package included ...

Untitled © Kristye Addison Dudley Have you ever watched the show hoarders and immediately wanted to throw away everything you own? Now that we are in the military, we are sort of gypsies. We will move every few years. Keeping lots of stuff doesn't work with this lifestyle. Yet and still, I keep collecting. I watched one Hoarders episode last week and I felt the need to purge things I hadn't worn, used or looked at in a year. Then I watched a documentary called Beautiful Losers. It's about outsider contemporary art culture. I looked at the studios of the artists and thought back to what my studio used to look like. Simply put, organized chaos and at times could have been its own episode of art hoarders. I used to collect things that inspired me. Magazines, toys, pictures, fabric, equipment (screen printing, laminating machine, book binding, cutting boards, seeing machine and more), history books, music and whatever else I found. Recently, I found some of my magazine c...

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 ...

Soul Stirring © Kristye Addison Dudley Have you ever been in a situation where you had to decide weather to laugh or cry? This month has been full of them. Highs and lows, tears and laughter have filled our home. The most important event that happened this month was Mark's deployment was cancelled. Of course I cried! I was so happy to know that he would be home with our family. He came home from training with the great news. Then there was looming dread of when he would be called up. Funny how the mind works. In other news KJ, our 2.5 year old, is officially potty trained! We went full tilt on training during a three day weekend and she is in panties! Lots of laughter and potty dances for that one. My baby is growing up (tiny tears). My mother is doing well, some days are easier than others but for 80 she's pretty amazing! Watching her chase a half naked 2 year old to the potty, was pretty funny. Realizing that she can't do everything she used to do is difficult...

Painting by KJ I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. (Philippians 4:13 KJV) As you know I am now the mother of two kiddos! It's pretty awesome. KJ loves her little brother and Lil Mark can't get enough of her. Today she got him to make his first smile. My husband is away for two weeks training and once again, I am so thankful for my mother being here to help out. I am also grateful that I have the flexibility to help her with whatever she may need too. I have to admit that I have used Disney Junior on TV to help me keep KJ occupied. I tell myself, she's learning. And she does pick up some educational tools, but really it gives me some time to make dinner or other chores. So I am on a mission to find other, more engaging things, more artful things. She is liking the change and so am I. Her latest finger painting master piece is above. I am so proud. Now every time she sees a brush she says she wants to paint. I love that! My other little wo...

Painting by KJ I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. (Philippians 4:13 KJV) As you know I am now the mother of two kiddos! It's pretty awesome. KJ loves her little brother and Lil Mark can't get enough of her. Today she got him to make his first smile. My husband is away for two weeks training and once again, I am so thankful for my mother being here to help out. I am also grateful that I have the flexibility to help her with whatever she may need too. I have to admit that I have used Disney Junior on TV to help me keep KJ occupied. I tell myself, she's learning. And she does pick up some educational tools, but really it gives me some time to make dinner or other chores. So I am on a mission to find other, more engaging things, more artful things. She is liking the change and so am I. Her latest finger painting master piece is above. I am so proud. Now every time she sees a brush she says she wants to paint. I love that! My other little wo...

Family photo of my husband and KJ our babymoon in June. So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. (Galatians 6:9 NLT) Ok so I am 35 weeks prego and I am ready to hold this little guy (or baby Jedi as my husband likes to call him) in my arms. On July 10th, I was blessed to turn 39 years old. Yeah I know, we aren't supposed to say our ages these days, but I feel very blessed to be one of the people who lived to see another day, month, and year of this life. Was this year perfect? Not by any means. Was this year full of memories, laughter, tears and growth? Yep and for all of the things I don't want to experience again, I am so fortunate to have lived through them with my family and friends. Well this next year is full of milestones and I am only in day one! My son is due any day now. Really!!! Last night I started having "light" contractions for about 2-3 hours straight, all while ...