I painted these from a picture in 2005 it was an image that spoke to me, and I had to do something "not cliche" as my professor kept labeling my work this and cartoony and illustrative. I hated studio classes at the U of A. They made me NOT want to be an artist.
It was a weird part of my life.
Fast forward 21 years (I was 23 at the time I painted it) on a day where work feels impossible, and out the source images fall from a random sketchbook. So I did some research as to what this is actually an image from. This image is taken at Teul Sleng (I think). The back has the words "gates of hell," and when searched, this popped up. It was a school converted to a prison by the Khmer Rouge who converted classrooms into cramped oppressive cells of torture.....hmm. lol.
I love my job. However, after 15 years of trying to find a new local, my career feels like something done to me rather than something I control. It seemed appropriate that this work called out to be finished.
Doors are powerful symbols, endings, beginnings, and change all wrapped in one curious package.
At 5 x6 feet it's bigger than me. It will be a while but I'm getting somewhere (haha 21 years later). I titled it ....hell and all that can't leave behind. It's hard for me to imagine what that 23 year old felt she was held back by. 90 percent of the hardest life experiences came way after that. And truthfully? I don't want to leave any of those moments behind as it's made me who I am....pretty tough cookie.
Kelsey Baker Art Novart Creative Studio
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See my work at Night of Artists gallery and Accupuncture turningpoint! Visual Artist and Teacher for over 20 years in the Edmonton Area.
06/05/2026
I am always aiming to make a splash with the NOA window. This month, we celebrate fathers and father figures, and what better way than a splashy dad joke!
So come down to the gallery and get dad a "reel" work of art that is sure to strike a "chord" (This one is ALL about the BASS.)
I take pride in creating the window displays from as much ♻️ (aka free) materials I can. I had to wait on the installation of this baddy due to the rain....he would literally have melted, haha.
I have been very fortunate to have a every special and talented kiddo help me with the last few as an extracurricular project at school. So a very special shout out to the amazing Jane who I will miss very much when she moves on to high-school next year.
Can I plant yet? Can we have green yet?
School is something else, so so tired hense no art. However, I have the wonder of growing things. Its such slow joy for me. Breathing and examining each tiny change. I think I finally understand what my grandma was talking about. We would stand on her back deck and I'd help dead head, she would talk of the sound of the birds, how to watch for unhealthy bits and how important it was to really look. How color and texture change.
My green house is calling.
06/02/2023
Art camps galore coming your way! Each week has a theme focus and 5 artists that will teach you a specific skill set!
There are 2 streams available, a morning class from 9 to 12:30 for 8-12 year old's and an afternoon class from 1 to 4 pm for students 12-17. The morning class will be a 1.5 to 2 hr workshop followed by a get up an go activity. The afternoon classes will be a 3 hr workshop.
Please register at https://www.novartcreativestudio.com/book-online (or click on the art class tab)
These classes will run from the NOA gallery each day.
03/29/2023
"School of thought" is a very special piece for me. I paint goldfish because of their capacity to forget. I am a teacher (junior high) for almost half my life. There are so many moments I wish I could erase for kids. There are so many kids that wiggle into my heart that I have a hard time leaving at work. There are 30 fish in this piece, each a loving dedication to a student I wish I could change things for. We get so hung up on the things we can not change. What would the world be like if we could focus forward and forget what holds us back?
As an artist, my work helps me to pour my world into a process that makes the hard beautiful. 17 years of teaching brings many stories that just break your heart. "School of thought" is my processing these stories and giving the impossible gift of clean slate to the kids that deserve it. I love everyone of these fish, from drawing, to cutting, to sanding and painting there is a crazy amount of love poured into this piece. Teaching can feel impossible. In the darkest hours, we need to be able to turn on the light and find wonder in the difficult. Here, in this 31-inch round immersive piece, these stories are colourful, playful and diversity different. Just like the incredible kids I get to work with...I wish they could all see the way that I see them.
"School of thought" is highly programmable. Download govee home, and there are hundreds of settings to play with. Soft lighting, music responsive, timer options, intensity, and hue. This piece gets to change with you 😀.
Come see me at NOA Gallery in Bonnie Doon and play with the settings!
01/17/2023
Today was a rough day. Rough days and automatic sketching is better. Somedays teaching breaks your heart.
01/02/2023
01/02/2023
So beautiful.
aBiogenesis The origins of life. May this bring a moment of peace and joy into your day. Thank you for this magical soundscape. Also! Free wallpapers on my…
12/31/2022
Working on the last piece of 2022....metamorphosis indeed.
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