Blog — everyday
I did the 100 day art project and it was amazing. Stressful, too.
Darya Karenski 100 day project artist life artist style everyday inspiration mindfulness multi-passionate creative painting self care small business staying true to yourself surface pattern design textile design YouTube
It's no secret that balancing the fun and the boring but necessary stuff in an art career can be challenging. (You question the decision to turn your passion into a career on a regular basis.) How do you keep motivated when churning out pretty pictures is your job? How do you not burn out? Truth is, you do. Eventually you burn out. And what's next? You still have to keep churning them out, thinking of the target audience in the meantime. At the same time, the projects and tidbits of inspiration that move you personally keep remaining on the back burner. The...
Kraft floral art prints are here - rustic & cozy farmhouse charm for your home
Darya Karenski antique artist life cozy home everyday flowers gardening gift giving gouache history home inspiration kraft memories nature New England painting rural rustic rustic floral shabby chic slow living small business vintage wall art
As a proud owner of an old New England house built in about 1840s, I have a soft spot for all things rustic farmhouse. We asked a local enthusiast to look into the history of our home and oh the treasures he found - I get to keep the photocopies of all the existing deeds on the house - first written in quill, then created on a typewriter, then the fax-type font from the 1980s and 90s, and finally, your typical Times New Roman of the new era. In this Library of Congress 1878 map of Ashland, our house is present and...
My pattern is featured in Spoonflower Fall 2023 Look Book
Darya Karenski collaboration cozy home everyday home shabby chic slow living Spoonflower sustainability textile design wallpaper
Wow, what a moment! Let's be honest, every Spoonflower designer dreams of making it to their look book and other marketing materials. While this platform is full of amazing talent, it's really hard to stand out in the creative, skilled and experienced crowd, so I'm particularly honored and happy to be included! In case you don't know, Spoonflower is a print on demand company providing high quality printing on fabric, wallpaper and multiple home decor items. I am a very active Spoonflower contributor as I love designing patterns for wallpaper and large scale interior fabrics, but the platform also offers me the...
Rural Living Inspiration
Darya Karenski cozy home everyday gardening home inspiration memories nature roots shabby chic slow living
Another important aspect of Rural Living for me is my childhood. I have always been a city girl but every summer my parents took me to my grandmother's house in the south of Russia where life just seemed to slow down. That house was a time capsule with linens from the 50s, vintage perfumes, vinyl records and vintage wallpaper. All those things fascinated me. I helped in the garden and did lots of household work including sewing, cooking and cleaning. It wasn't all fun and glamour - oh not at all! Forget the dishwasher and other modern day wonders. But...
Rural Living art collection launch
Darya Karenski artist life cozy home everyday gardening home mindfulness nature New England painting slow living watercolor
As I'm preparing for my very first original watercolor art collection drop, I wanted to share some inspiration behind this creation. What does Rural Living mean to me? And why did I choose it as my very first original art collection? Is it the cottagecore trend? Not really. It's that my life IS rural and New England countryside plays a huge role in my creative flow. Long walks in nature are my meditation and recharging process. Seasonal changes spark my creativity and influence my working process - always. I have a flower garden that I started from scratch and I...