Blog — inspiration
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...
Can you smell it? Introducing my olfactory artwork collection!
Darya Karenski aromatic plants flowers fragrance fragrant plants gardening gift giving gifts home inspiration nature olfactory painting perfume scent small business watercolor
Fragrant flowers, perfume notes, fragrance art - oh my! I'm so excited about all of this. Great smelling things are my passion. I have been meaning to dive into perfume art for a while. It actually, started a few years back when I created my Aromatherapy design and lots of its derivatives. By the way, you can find the main Aromatherapy print as a silk scarf and kitchen towel in the shop, as well as wall art. Back then, I made an elaborate list of all things fragrant including flowers, fruits, nuts and... moved on to my pattern design work and what...
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...
My pattern design collaboration
Darya Karenski apparel collaboration inspiration interview kids press small business textile design
Recently I had the pleasure of collaborating with a very cool brand called Princess Awesome & Boy Wonder that focuses on creating kids' clothes unbound by the usual gender stereotypes. If your little princess wants a dress with a dinosaur, space or construction trucks, Princess Awesome got you! That goes the other way around with unicorns and other "girly" topics. Plus, they have lots of designs devoted to science, technology, adventures, animals and the list goes on! I created a design called Dino Tracks that will soon grace a new dress! I did a little interview with Eva St. Clair,...