Kalaya Steede

Painting or Real? It's almost a new year and it's that time where I look back to reassess my progress or journey as I like to call it. Did I set out to get/do the things I wanted? Annnd... Were they the things I really wanted? I find that the things I thought I really wanted weren't the things I wanted at all. How strange, don't you think? I am changing, as we all are (hopefully), and in my attempts to be my authentic self you will find some things changing here.  It is my intention to share my experiences , my passions , my mistakes , and my discoveries .   Let's start with Nick.  Nick Cave was introduced to me by Sam about two years ago.  Sam had purchased tickets to take me to see this guy.  Now I am not one to go to concerts and I will fight being around crowds and complain to NO END about not wanting to go.  However, I went and I literally could not take my eyes off of Nick. He demanded attention and attention he re...

I was told to find a "common thread" in my work.  In other words my work cannot be all over the place.  How does one do this?  How does one find your voice? I am convinced that it just does not happen over night.  It takes time and a lot of work following your bliss. My brain is literally aching over some things like, f ind your common thread creating a brand and designing a booth. So what is the secret? It is to make something EVERY DAY . That is what I have been doing for the past two weeks.  In between taking care of Cosmo, social media, art markets, art exhibits, taxes, photography, teaching, and submissions. It is a miracle we can create anything! But enough of that.  Let us take a look at what is going on with me the next two days. Fertile Ground I want to thank the Arts Council of New Orleans for all of their support and all that they do for us artists here in NOLA.  Their Artist as Entrepreneur pro...

Get out of the studio!   You know...my a/c has not stopped running since noon!  I believe it is just getting hotter and hotter here in NOLA but you know what? It would not be NOLA without that summer, HOTTER THAN HELL, heat! Okay enough of that.  What have you all been up to? I have been making this and that. Mostly making rings and etching my heart away. When I sit down to make a piece I often think about what I want to say or what kind of energy I want it to have. Do I want to attract love or do I want to invoke inner peas...hmm...I mean peace? Maybe I want to provide protection? Since prehistoric times metals, crystals, stones, and symbols held power and mystery. When I make my pieces I like to incorporate some sort of protection for the wearer, usually there is a piece of turquoise somewhere. This past week I started off making my mother her long awaited bullet casing pendant.  On the casing I etched the Rune symbols for Journey and Protecti...

I had the most intensive Faux Bone workshop EVER!   Robert Dancik decided to play in NOLA in the month of May teaching anyone who wanted to learn about Faux Bone at Thomas Mann's studioFlux and I was up to the challenge. What is Faux Bone you ask?   Well, it is PVC but a higher grade of PVC.  It is non-toxic, malleable, can be stained, dyed, twisted, and was founded by Robert. It comes in sheets of various thickness just like metal but sawing is like cutting through butter. I started off making one of Robert's designs so I can learn everything about the Faux Bone. After cutting out my shape and sanding to make it real smooth I used a Dremel engraver to draw my designs into the bone.  Next was to make those engraved sections pop, basically just adding some acrylic paint in the crevices and then wiping the excess off.  Last was to give it a good stain to make it look as though it had been aging for thousands of years. How do you ...

Tonight I am getting Night Star ready for her journey home.  As I'm polishing her to make her all beautiful, I can't help but to feel a little sadness to see her go.   Night Star was designed in the fall of 2010 as part of the Amulets of the Goddess Series.  I had loads of fun designing the pieces. There were three in the set and now all three are with their Goddess.   Night Star was the last to go. Night Star Being, Knowing, and Becoming I Bring You Strength and Growth I'm all for letting go but sometimes it's just so hard.   Hold onto Night Star while looking up into the night sky and make a wish.  Namaste Kalaya

Being, Knowing, and Becoming Amulets of the Goddess Series This baby sold last week.  Yay!!!   The spiral is a symbol of being, knowing, or becoming.  For me it is all three and I tried to address this with the circles moving in a spiral direction.   My hope was when it was worn that it could serve as a reminder of being in the moment and knowing we are a part of this universe.  Which I forget every now and then. I had a great time designing and making this piece and hate to see it go but at least I get to see it every once in awhile.   Namaste Kalaya