We first met Kelley Anderson at a brunch run by Single Moms Planet to connect and empower other women. It was fate that we would become good friends and she gifted me with a stunning piece of moss art to christen the new PPLA office. Now we get to invite all of you to experience “Wonderland.”
Kelley is hosting her first experiential art installation here in Los Angeles this Saturday, March 24th, at Open Eye Crystals and we want to see you there! The best part, tickets are free
We sat down with Kelley to find out how she got her start and what to expect from the show.
PPLA: Tell us about your business Art Botanica and what inspired you to start it?
KA: My love and obsession with nature runs deep. As a child, some of my favorite days were spent getting lost in the woods behind my house in Connecticut. I’d create forts with sticks and branches and spent the day adorning my little sanctuary with moss, stones, and dogwood branches. I always felt an immense feeling of peace and serenity in the wilderness. It was like I belonged there. I have had some challenging times in my life, don’t we all, and nature has always offered me a window in which to reflect, heal, and grow. My intention, through my art, is to recreate that positive, healing, and peaceful energy that can be found in nature and bring it into everyone’s home so they all can experience the benefits.
PPLA: How long have you been making moss art and how did you first become interested in this art form? How did you learn it?
KA: As I child I would pick moss and lichen out of rock crevices and arrange them along side shiny quartz I’d find in the stream. I guess that is when I really began, but it wasn’t until about 2 years ago that I stumbled across naturally preserved moss and botanicals that the idea came clearly to me to create with it as a medium. I’m self taught, through much trial and error, and my style is constantly evolving into new and different manifestations.
PPLA: What’s the biggest challenge in creating your pieces?
KA: Sourcing the preserved moss and botanicals has been the biggest challenge. It is not easy to find, and just like any other crop, it has fluctuations do to the elements. I am lucky to have met my friend Teresa, who runs a family owned moss farm in Arkansas, and she provides me with most of my material.
PPLA: Where has some of your art been hung/seen?
KA: My art can be seen around the globe- in Dubai, Australia, all over Europe, and even India. I recently did a 75 sf ft wall behind a bar of a new farm-to-table restaurant in New York called Bellwether. Just last week I did a huge Instagrammable photo op wall for Create+Cultivate.
PPLA: Where do you hope the company will expand in the next few years?
KA: I am so excited for what the future holds! I have so many ideas sometimes it’s hard to fall asleep at night because they are flooding my mind and bring up an intense creative energy. I am really enjoying creating interactive experiences lately and am getting more involved with events. I deeply enjoy designing memorable experiences that provoke emotional responses.
PPLA:If you could have your art hung at any place in Los Angeles where would it be… or in any celebs home, who would it be?
KA: Hmmm, well I’d love everyone to have a piece of my art, it’s hard to pick just one. Maybe Gwyneth Paltrow? Her lifestyle brand Goop would pair nicely with some moss art 😉
PPLA: What do you want our readers to know about you/ your work?
KA: For people who are interested in my work, I think it’s important for them to know that my art runs deeper than just a visual and tangible work of art. I create each and every piece with the intention to convey a deeper meaning. Sometimes they speak to the simplistic yet complex beauty of nature that creates wonder and awe, and other times the message is deeply spiritual and esoteric. My calling is to raise the vibration, shift perspective, and call people to go deeper within to create a more loving and peaceful reality.
PPLA: What can attendees expect from Art Botanica?
KA: Attendees can expert to have their mind blown! This though provoking botanical experience will shift the way they view the world around them into a whole new WONDER-ful reality.