It was ARTCRAWL NIGHT at The Gallery Off Broadway!!!

Here are a few pics of the craziness that went on in here last week!!! 

Classes , Classes, and MORE CLASSES!!!!!  You see, I started out teaching kids.  Then needed to find a way to combine drinking with painting (because I was teaching kids..LMAO)  My old saying "  If you drink alone you are an alcoholic, if you do it in a room full of people while standing on a stage with a paint brush in one hand then you are  THE LIFE OF THE PARTY!!!!!!

The last seven days we have had a TON of classes..  Thought I'd share a few pics with ya.  If you haven't checked out our fb page swing by and "like" us.  (Gallery Off Broadway)    

Okay, so here is a class from Art Crawl Night.  For those of you who don't know....Excelsior Springs has an Art Crawl every second Friday of the month.  We have lots of folks come out to see all the art in the local downtown stores, as well as PARTY WITH US AT THE GALLERY!!!!

YA, just HAD to paint my stage!!!  Shawna put the fabric on it for me!!

Do I really need to say any more?LOL

Getting ready to start the class

Paint the canvas black

Start to draw with a paint brush instead of a pencil...
I think it teaches them to trust themselves so much more

WHOOOHOOO!!!  I sold a painting!!!

LOOK what they are doing!!!

Kikko is one of my groupies!!!

Need I say more?  This is the attitude of my classes.....teeeeehee

Meet Barbara Akers....
She is a resident artist and will be teaching watercolor workshops starting in November...
WHOOOHOOO

Look what they did in three hours. 
I LOVE this place and I love What I DO FOR A LIVING!!!

My Point Of View Changed Today.....

YES, they are fishnet hose and biker boots!!! 
I was about to ROCK my stage with  a painting class

Sometimes an abrupt change in direction is the best thing that can happen to you.  Why is it as women  we see unfamiliar trails as dangerous instead of adventurous?  Why is it that we feel like we can't wear an outfit that we loooove because we are a "MOM"....(SEE ABOVE  TEEEHEEEE)


or we can't take a trip because we "have a FAMILY" or we don't get that much needed massage because someone else needs something from us? 

I have let allllll these things happen to me in my "Family" and sad as it is to say...."My Gallery".  I have not blogged much lately because I thought there has been  nothing good or funny to say.  I had gotten to the point of not wanting to go to work at all.  Am I depressed, NOPE, just lost my tail. 

My SEVEN FOOT
SAIL FISH!!!

Yup, lost my tail, and my vision for this place...and along with it went my creativity.  GONE.  Sooooo I pouted for a while and then went to the beach to talk to God about all this and even wanted to move home....(the beach is home for me.)  Caught a fish of a lifetime while I was gone...had an amazing time with my husband person, spent EVERY DAY outside...and accidentally completely fell OUT of love with this cute little town called Excelsior Springs.  Like any relationship, the town and I have our ups and downs.  I love the people and the buildings and the history...hate the weather, the fishing here kinda sucks, and the trees make me feel closed in.  So I pulled away.  Tried to convince all my crazy girlfriends who know me and love me that we can do this at the beach....and they said no. WHORES....lol. YES KELLY BERKEY I AM REFERING TO YOU...

GOT MY HAPPPPPY BACK!!!!

The back of the shirt says
"Where The WILD Women Create"

My point in this twenty minute dissertation is that THIS TOWN, Excelsior Springs, MADE me an artist.  This town embraced my vision and gave me the freedom to run with it.   This town has provided a place for me to heal, and to grow and to evolve like no other place I have ever lived.  This town will do the same for you.  I am determined to change my point of view and fall back love with THIS TOWN.  I am bringing you on an incredible journey once again....full of art, love, SWEET FREEDOM, and a hell raising good time.  Our workshops or all going on the schedule and our first retreat is planned for October of next year.  The dates are being worked out, but in the meantime, I will introduce you to all the wonderful that this little town has to offer you. I will share my adventure every step of the way with you.  The growth that is good and the growth that is painful.  I have come out of the sand dunes and I am ready to start walking again.   God has been waiting on me......

My Heart Is Full Of Color
Mixed Media 30x30
I really love the yummy texture on this and the best part is that it is SOLD!!!

Love Kathleen!!!

What do you do when your best friend moves out......CELEBRATE!!!!!

Ya, so Molly moved here right.....(bad marriage) Both of us under one roof right....(bad marriage) She has always had her own place to do with what SHE wants and now suddenly she is in my gallery living with me and all the other artists stuff....(BAD MARRIAGE) I love this woman like non other, but living together apparently has been no picnic.

 Here is the REST of the story that was not attached to the prior post about this that was supposed to be saved as a freakin DRAFT and MYSTERIOUSLY ended up on my blog, unedited, and NOT FINISHED.  She tells me ARTCRAWL NIGHT that she has rented her own space.  At that very moment I wanted to burn the house down with all of us in it.  JUST BEING REAL!!!!  It was artcrawl night for crying out loud.  You don't tell someone bad things on THAT night. 

Part of me is hurt and pissed off because I love her loud mouth and will miss that.  The other part is jumping for joy because it stressed me out butting heads about everything.  WE had spent so much time LOVING having her there in the beginning when the idea of it was all that we had.  The reality of it is plainly put into two words NIGHT MAAARE!!!  How we EVER thought this was gonna work is beyond me.  We both should have the piss slapped out of us.  She has had her own place for YEARS.  It is all her....her personality, her art, her style, her colors, and her rules......Meanwhile back at the farm it is a whole different ball game I am barely a year into this chaos and some days don't know which end is up.  I have 15 different artist to keep happy while trying to keep the space from loosing the "ME" in it.  Constantly stressing about the way the place looks, and who wants what, and where everyone is being placed.  (Apparently the hall way is NOT an artist favorite...Stay tuned to find out what we are doing with said hallway..teeeeheee. 

Sooooooo, after being mad and hurt mainly because of how all this was handled....I have come to the conclusion that I am not the person to share space with.  Plain and simple....This is my space, my life, my name out there.  This is my vision and no matter how unorganized it looks to the outsider, it is truly moving in the right direction.  On the same note, Molls can not be her true self in my space either.  She has nearly no creative freedom at all, the kids driver her nuts, the dogs make her want to run them over with her car, INSIDE THE BUILDING.  It is good that she has come to the decision to leave The Gallery off Broadway and re open her studio here in town.  It should be a celebration for her because she got her freedom back and that is what it is all about....Being Free to Be True To Yourself!!!    LOVE YOU MOLLY!!!!!!

So this chapter is over, and a new one begins.  I am going to be true to myself and to the dream I have for this place once again.  I think you are about to get REAAAAAALLLLY excited..TEEHEEEE!!!

Love Kathleen

Update on Retreats!

The October 2011 retreat has been cancelled due to one of our instructors having an injury that hasn't healed to the point that we are sure she will be able to join in.

We will be working on dates for the 2012 retreats and will list those dates soon.

If you'd like to be on the mailing list for the newsletter on upcoming retreats and workshops, please email sweetfreedomretreats@gmail.com. 

Thanks for visiting our blog!