Blog — artist life
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...
Let's talk about true inspiration
Darya Karenski antique artist life flowers gift giving gifts inspiration nature painting postal art postal stamps silk scarf slow fashion slow living staying true to yourself sustainability vintage watercolor
I'll tell you a little secret dream of mine: I would really love to illustrate a stamp. I sent my submission over exactly a year ago to USPS (United States Postal Service) art commission and even received a reply from Washington DC that they'd put me on the list. Even though it seems virtually impossible, I'm not losing hope! I draw a lot of inspiration from snail mail (and "the old ways" in general!), vintage ephemera and botanical illustration. I have combined all these things in my Postal Reminiscence design. (It had been completed a couple years before I submitted my art to USPS!) It took a...
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...
Every artist needs a blog...
Darya Karenski artist life gardening painting slow living small business textile design watercolor
... that's what they say. Allow me to introduce myself, I'm Darya Karenski - the artist and designer behind Pattern Talent. First of all, the bold brand name was coined by my husband with the motto "Go big or go home" when I was graduating from college in Textile Design and knew I wanted a brand focused on creating repeating patterns for home decor, stationery, apparel - you name it. (I wanted it all and am still a bit guilty of that. I enjoy the very process of putting illustrations in repeat - pardon the lingo, it means creating designs that repeat on fabric, wallpaper...