Meet Cat Kelley of Blue Moxie Art in Chino

Today we’d like to introduce you to Cat Kelley.

Cat, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I have a groovy life. Every day I’m amazed that I get to do what I love and share that passion with others. I love mixed media art and helping people create beautiful things. There are many times at the end of a 14-hour work day that I’ve told my husband, Ray, how much I love this life we’re living.

I’ve always been a mixed media artist; I just didn’t know that it was a thing. I’m into using all types of substances…paint, paper, ink, modeling paste, watercolors, oil pastels, ink sprays… I could never pick just one! I’ve always liked to mix things together to see what happens and to find different ways of using things.

During my 40s, I realized my kids were getting older and didn’t really need me at home any longer. It was time to decide what I wanted to be when I grew up. At the time, I had a little greeting card business, but it wasn’t what I really wanted to be doing. I decided to take the idea of “create the life you want to live” to heart and I literally made up my own job. The two things that were on my heart were to make art and to share the process with others, especially those who didn’t feel confident in their creativity. I started teaching mixed media to a few local students and hosting a few events in my home. Then, at the advice of a friend, I added home parties. Three years ago, I started my summer art camp program, which is still my favorite event of the year, and it was from that event two years ago that one of the parents asked me to be a vendor for their charter school. This year I’ve started teaching for three charter schools and also at three of our local Hobby Lobby stores. It’s exciting to watch my little business grow.

Has it been a smooth road?
It’s been a crazy ride, that’s for sure!

About five years ago, we were at a point financially where I needed to get a job, but I had this dream. I have an incredibly supportive husband who told me to go for it. I felt so guilty for not getting a nine to five daily job but I knew that this is what I wanted to do. I also felt like I had a responsibility to be an example to my kids of facing your fears, following your dreams and believing in yourself. All of which were some of the biggest obstacles for me in the beginning of this journey. I had so much fear and self-doubt, asking myself who did I think I was to think that I could do this? Luckily, I had my hubby and some great friends who encouraged me along the way. There is no substitute for people who believe in you and your talent.

Thank God for social media. I didn’t have any funds to start Blue Moxie so getting my name and vision out there was one of the hardest things. I tried a few art walks, craft fairs, etc. but they just weren’t the right fit for me. It was a good lesson though, that it’s okay to not be like everyone else and that I’m not going to be everyone’s cup of tea and that I need to be cool with that. So, I learned how to use social media to advertise myself, and to this day that’s how most people hear about me. This summer I created my own website to enhance my social media presence and that’s really helped my business.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
I’m a mixed media artist that both sells and teaches art. I’m not your typical art teacher; I’m more interested in the journey and the lessons that can be learned along the way. When a student asks if they can do something in their art, my typical response is “Why not, try it and see what happens!” I want them to learn to be brave and try new things, to know that sometimes they’ll create something totally cool and other times it’s not going to work out, which is totally fine. They learn to embrace imperfection and roll with it. At art camp this summer one of my students picked up my dog and his tail swiped across the ocean painting she was making. She turned that swipe into the sea spray of a narwhal coming out of the water. It was awesome and I couldn’t have been prouder of her.

I teach for private students and three charter schools. I also host my own events and do home parties. My parties are not paint parties, they are so much more. When I teach a class, I encourage each person to make the art of their heart; my main job is to guide them on the journey. I love how excited they get over the texture and dimension that they create in their art. At the end of the day, each person’s project will reflect their own personality, even though they all technically made the same thing.

I am proud that I’ve been able to grow my little business while remaining authentic to my art and my vision. Being an authentic person is one of the most important things to me. I have so many exciting things on the horizon for both my business and for myself as an artist. I’m designing new classes to teach and products to offer, including a line of shirts with my art on them. People from all over the world visit my website every week, I want to be able to reach out and do art with them so I’m planning on hosting at least one online class next year, along with adding free videos to my website. I’m submitting my art to a juried art show in February for the first time because I want to continue to push myself and grow my talent.

I’m totally scared to enter and face rejection but that’s how I know it’s the right thing to do!

Is our city a good place to do what you do?
New families are constantly moving to our area because our city is rapidly growing. It’s great for me because my business is people orientated. My one concern with someone starting out here is that our area is saturated with paint party businesses and because people are so accustomed to those type of parties, they automatically think that’s what I’m about when they hear about me. I have to work hard on my brand to stand out. I don’t think that’s anything that the city could improve on, just something to be aware of.

Contact Info:

• Address: 3917 Pamela Dr
  Chino Ca 91710
• Website: catkelley.wixsite.com/bluemoxieart
• Phone: 909.260.1850
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bluemoxieart/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Blue-Moxie-574454735927841/
• Other: https://www.pinterest.com/pidge66/

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