Today, we’d like to introduce you to Kelly Ruonavaara.
Kelly, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Creating art has been an outlet since childhood. Countless little wide-ruled notebooks were filled with crude drawings as I grew older. My parents were supportive of my hobby. They provided me with art supplies and proudly hung the creations throughout the house. In grade school, I was known as the girl who always drew pictures of horses. In middle and high school, I enrolled in as many art classes as my schedule would allow. No matter the medium, I found ways to litter my childhood with creations.
I was told that it was a great hobby, I was talented, yet that making a living as an artist would be an impossible fever dream. Foolishly, I spent my early adulthood listening to this ideology and dove into the exciting lifestyle of “making a living.” Instead of sketching in the margins of notebooks, I focused on filling the lines with data and information. All my art supplies were moved from home to home without leaving the boxes. I decided to ignore my artistic side and instead merge into the 9-5 life.
A few years of this resulted in the most prolific realization. I wasn’t happy just “making a living”. As time passed, my passions were collecting dust. Then, I picked up a pencil again and sat in the sun. The resulting drawing affirmed that art is my passion. Going forward, I would occasionally work on a piece of art. I was still stuck on this idea that I had to feel innately inspired to create something, like that day in the sun. It became obvious that tapping into the vulnerability I had spent so much time ignoring was the source of my creativity. It was time to look inward.
The most recent year has been transformative for the artist I am now. I thoroughly enjoy the challenge each medium presents. The opportunity to learn is one of the most important and humbling aspects of it all. Learning one’s methodology is a vulnerable place to be. It is important to allow that process to happen. As I grow, my focus is on conveying the emotion of the piece, whether it be an inanimate subject or a live one.
Lately, I have been drawing with either charcoal or ink, as much as possible. It is simple to carry around with me as I go through my day and the obligations of it all. I am working full time and enrolled in three classes, though I hope someday to successfully join the ranks of great artists and make my living by creating. I will find my way. Someday, my focus will be on improving my talents by channeling my chaos.
Let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what challenges have you had to overcome?
Has it been a smooth road? I am glad you asked. No. No, it absolutely has not. In fact, that is where the name Khaos Artistry came from. My life has been chaotic for as long as I can remember. But I am grateful for the highs, lows, and everything in between because they have carved who I am as a person and artist. I am most proud of learning to value myself.
Through the lows, I have experienced the terrible aspects of humanity and the potential for disappointment. I have found surprising kindness as well in these moments. Strangers who look upon another with a kind eye and offer a helpful hand. Facing difficulties is a detriment to one’s success. Through this process, I have learned what to value: Love. Being kind to your fellow human beings. Appreciating simplicity. Nature. Animals and their lessons.
Through experiencing true pain, a person can feel the elation possible in those moments when everything goes correctly. I have loved and lost, battled medical issues, found understanding for my mental health problems, and, most grueling of all, have been trying to support myself financially. I am not unique in these problems. It is astounding what people must work against and how much we all focus on hiding those less attractive aspects of ourselves.
I have felt it all. In my chaos, I have been funneling it all onto my canvas. I have no interest in portraying myself as a glossy and professional artist. In fact, the yin and yang of humanity is where I find the passion to create. People are messy. I certainly am messy. I believe that the raw underlying human in us all that feels pain, elation, and everything in between should be celebrated. When I am creating a piece of art, everything slows down. Nothing else matters more than the conversation between my hand, the charcoal pencil, and the piece of paper. I own this moment.
The most constant struggle has been to prioritize my time in crafting the business aspect of Khaos Artistry. I have had to devote most of my time to working and attending classes to finish my degree in Psychology. Admittedly, I am feeling a shift in my focus as of late. I feel like it is time to truly discover what I am capable of as an artist. I am at the beginning of this portion of my life and excited to see what happens in the future.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Emotion is everything in my artwork. I want the finished piece to convey a mood that is both unique to the artwork and relatable to the viewer. This translates across all mediums. I use acrylic, charcoal, ink pen, pencil, watercolor, marker, colored pencil, pastel, etc. Acrylic paintings, charcoal drawings, and ink pen drawings are my current favorites to work with.
Charcoal is challenging in the way that every mark on the page must be included in the overall finished product. It cannot be fully erased. Though I used to curse at this aspect, I have learned to treasure it. Charcoal allows for the relationship between the subject and its light source to be delicately obvious. There is a simplicity in the black and white pieces of art. What it lacks in color, it makes up for in detail and expression. Most recently, I have been drawing faces with charcoal. I have found that facial expressions translate beautifully in this simplicity.
I have less control with acrylic paint than any other type of medium. The irony is that I have been painting with acrylic paint since elementary school. Acrylic paint dries much faster than oil paint and requires less cleanup after. There are pros and cons to both types. I prefer the synthetic texture and bold color found in acrylic and have been learning how to improve the conversation between myself and it.
The ink pen is bold. There is something to be said about a well-made black ink pen. When I drew “the Queen of Hearts”, I had one piece of paper, two black ink pens, and freezing rain. The rain mixed with the pen and diluted it, allowing for weight and depth. I was excited about how it was turning out when a perfect raindrop fell on the subject’s lower eyelid and fell down her face, leaving a streak that resembled a tear. Immediately, I took the piece inside and let it dry fully as is. Once dry, I went back in to add touches and detail. That one raindrop conveyed the anguish as I wanted it to.
I am known for the dark essence found in my finished pieces. There are a lot of emotions in them that cannot be taken at face value. They capture one moment yet allude to what happened prior and after. It’s a part of a story.
The aspect of my work that sets me apart from other artists is that a very raw piece of me is in everything I create. If it lacks passion, I am not interested in the project. If it is to be created from a real and vulnerable aspect, I’m in.
I am most proud of the progress I have made in portraying facial features more accurately, especially in my charcoal drawings. I went from accurately depicting empty faces to capturing emotion. My most recent finished charcoal pieces are titled “Disdain” and “Luci.” I am by no means perfect, but I am thoroughly enjoying the process of learning as I create art.
How can people work with you, collaborate with you, or support you?
People can message me on Instagram, Facebook, or email me. If they have an idea and want to work with me on it, I would love to hear their idea! I don’t really have rules as to what artwork I will or will not do. I am very fluid in that sense. I have collaborated with other artists in the past with their work and would love to collaborate more in the future.
The best way to support me is to support their local artists! If anything I say leaves an impact, I sincerely hope that it is this. Your local artists have bills to pay, mouths to feed, and passion they are pursuing. They are exposing so much of themselves to a world that grows more streamlined and “efficient” every day. Please help to ensure that artists remain a part of this world. If you can financially purchase artwork from the artist or from a printing company they work with, I highly encourage you to do so. I worry that with artificial intelligence, artwork that requires an artist to create will be a dime a dozen, and we will no longer feel needed, though we are very needed.
Also, if you want to purchase my artwork and prints of my artwork, please find me on social media or email me. I would love to be able to build a small house for myself and my Rottweiler someday. Any sales I make with my art will be going to that goal.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/khaos.artistry/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/khaosartistry.mi
- Other: https://www.pictorem.com/gallery/KHAOS.ARTISTRY
