
A Work in Progress: This one is called MUSE. It's a 30" x 48" multi-media collaboration with my 2-year-old grandson, using acrylic paint and paint markers on canvas. I am tapping into my "toddler energy" and creating something beautiful! Follow along on Instagram, to see what it becomes, @theresekettman.
This piece features a pour paint background enriched with a drawn layer created using the neurographic art process. The vibrant colors represent the emotions of the heart, while the flowing lines capture the thoughts of the mind. Together, they reflect the harmony that emerges when the heart and mind agree, bringing a serene and peaceful contentment. Yet, the opposite is just as powerful—when they clash, it can feel like a storm of inner struggle or a sudden ambush.
This artwork also evokes the experience of feeling safe and reflective, as if perched in the crow's nest of a ship, gazing out at the vast sea and marveling at the power and beauty of the water, the wind, and the ship itself. But that sense of calm is abruptly shattered when chaos strikes—the ship tossed by rough waves and wind, and uninvited forces climbing aboard, taking control. The painting encapsulates this shift, from tranquil contemplation to the overwhelming chaos of lost safety and control, mirroring the inner turmoil of heart and mind in conflict.
Dimensions: 16 in x 20 in
Material: acrylic pour paint on canvas with a neurographic drawing overlayed using acrylic markers
July 2024
Therese Kettman
Studio Owner
In 2021, I answered a long-silent call within me—the desire to create. It began with colors: letting them clash, collide, move, and flow side by side. The more I immersed myself in the process, the more I became lost in a world of boundless exploration. I discovered that I had been holding back, denying the inner tug to take a chance, to embrace freedom, to get gloriously messy. I realized something beautiful: I don’t need to know what the end will look like, because the real magic happens in the adventure of the 'in between.'
This journey has been all about taking a plunge—a leap into the unknown, into a new world of exploration:
A plunge into discovering my artist voice.
A plunge into building new connections and finding my creative community.
A plunge into recognizing my worth in simply being—giving and receiving.
A plunge into vulnerability, visibility, and courage to take risks.
A plunge into unfamiliar territory, like stepping into a foreign land where I don’t know the language or the cultural rules.
And so, here I go, stepping boldly into this adventure of creativity and transformation.
— Therese