Courtney Creativebug Discovers Beautiful Instagrams and The Artists Behind Them
Klay Arsenault aka @Kleja72 is an Instagramer we love. Klay is a mom, sewest, illustrator and maker. We especially love her sweet watercolor illustrations and her imaginative softies.
Here’s what Klay had to say about how she works and finds inspiration…
CBug: When did you start making/creating your career in art?
My first loves have always been drawing and sewing. About 10 years ago I started a collection of tattered forgotten quilts that my mom and I would dig up at sales and antique stores. I was really getting into quilting when I discovered Denyse Schmidt and her book ’30 Colorful Quilt and Patchwork Projects’. I loved how free she was with the sewing machine and her quilt patterns. Her colors and designs filled me with ideas and it set me down the path to using my sewing machine like a drawing instrument. Since then, I haven’t been able to stop drawing with my machine and I love it!
CBug: What inspires you as an Instagramer?
What inspires me could be anything. Sometimes it’s a sky full of storm clouds or collecting feathers and leaves on the way to the park with my son. As a practice, I enjoy drawing the events of my day, it really helps me see the creativity of our lives and how much color and character everyday things can have.
CBug: What do you like about Instagraming?
Instagram allows me to be a part of other people’s creativity. Seeing what they see through the filter of Instagram tells a story about where and what someone is doing and how they see art or humor in it.
CBug: Whose Instagram feeds do you look to for daily inspiration?
I follow a handful of artists and a bunch of friends on Instagram. Here are a few of my favorites:
- Karina Allrich @karri_allrich is an abstract painter and the genius chef behind the blog “Gluten-Free Goddess”. She sees the world in a different and wonderful way.
- Lori Joy Smith @lorijoy is a children’s illustrator and fiber artist who lives on Prince Edward Island where half my family comes from.
- My friend Devon Holzwarth @devonholzwarth, who recently moved from San Jose CA to Aachen Germany is an incredible artist who creates magic in the everyday activities with her 2 kids. You should see her plated food drawings she makes for her kids’ meals – astounding!
- Anna Maria Horner @annamariahorner, who is one of my most favorite people in the world and who I’ve been lucky to meet and to work with. She possesses everything I wish I could be as a mom who is also an artist.
- Of course everything from Creativebug and the people that work there – what an amazing collection of creative inspiration!
Thanks Klay!
Who have you been following lately? Tag a photo on Instagram with #creativebug so we can see. Or leave a comment with a link!