Today we’d like to introduce you to Kelly Lucarelli.
Hi Kelly, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
This artistic journey began with Mrs. Cross, my middle school art teacher. She was the first one who captivated my interest in art – she taught us the history, culture, and techniques of various artists, styles, and movements worldwide. She was a super-positive influence. However, I didn’t realize I could make a career (or multiple careers) in art until I was a junior in high school. Again, I was blessed with amazing art teachers, especially Ms. Funcheon and Mr. Jackson, who spent time developing and encouraging their students. Our school highly supported the arts programs, which greatly impacted our student opportunities. They entered our work in competitions, helped us seek scholarships, and informed us of creative careers in which we could continue beyond high school. I continued in art, which had become my passion, and earned my BFA in graphic design from Ball State University, where excellent art educators supported me. Alongside my design courses, I took painting, figure drawing, photography, and ceramics, developing new artistic skills and exploring ways to communicate visually in various media while exploring my artistic style. My focus through my mid-late 20s was portraits and figures with expressive colors and mark-making. I truly loved to work large-scale with large brushes to create.
For the next 15 years, I worked as a graphic designer in small to mid-size firms/agencies before ultimately running my freelance design business for 10 years. It was a great time to be a designer – I especially enjoyed working with other creatives – copywriters, designers, marketing reps, etc. to brainstorm ideas and see them through to completion. It was a crucial process I later utilized in my classroom to teach students how to solve problems. However, my creative art-making took a hiatus during this time. It took a lot of work, time, and energy to create, and it was tough with all the hours I spent behind the computer. I missed painting and was ready for a change. As I started volunteering at my daughter’s school when she was young, I realized how much I enjoyed working with kids and felt that calling to become a teacher that people often hear about. My family was highly supportive and encouraged me to go for it!
Over the next two years, I poured my time into earning my Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) from Winthrop University. It was challenging because I was also a mom, and it had been so long since I was in college. And it was an inspiring time for me. I truly enjoyed learning, being in classrooms, and creating, and I had such great professors and classmates who I still keep in touch with.
For the past 6 years, I taught high school art at Fort Mill High School, a fantastic place to be! I taught various courses from beginner to advanced, including Drawing 1 & 2, 3-D Design & Sculpture, Portfolio Art Honors, and AP Art & Design. This opportunity to encourage students, like my art educators did for me, came full circle. I was passionate about volunteering for different school and community events, sponsoring the National Art Honor Society, and participating in various committees. I also gained various new skills and techniques as an art teacher, which I learned from fellow teaching artists, students, workshops, discovery, etc. It was a great environment to be immersed in creativity! Inspiration from students is the best part – they are so creative and often think differently! While I entered a few of my paintings into shows during this time, I mostly created for myself – and mostly during summer break. At times, I would share work on Instagram or with my students, but my house was my gallery space, and work was mainly shared with friends and family who visited.
So, if I loved teaching so much, how did I come to open this gallery? That could be a long answer with various factors, but the short is that the timing was right. My husband and I had dreamed for years about how we would open a gallery in the mountains once we retired. The stars aligned early, and we decided to go for it! It took us over a year to determine if we wanted to do this here and now. It took me that long to decide whether to leave teaching and my students. But, I’ve learned that I can still work with students in this gallery. I’ve already had some middle and high school students job shadow me, and I’m starting small art workshops for teens and adults in January. I still have that opportunity to teach and make positive, creative impacts in our community. And I’m super excited to bring more local art into our Fort Mill area and to create full-time!
Luca Studio & Gallery showcases a variety of works by local artists in the gallery shop, bringing more art into the community. We currently have works by 11 artists on display, ranging from painting, drawing, illustration, jewelry, photography, and more! I’m so excited about all of the artists I have met during this process and hope the community will embrace the opportunity to stop in to view and purchase local artwork. I also use the space as a working artist studio, teach private lessons and small group workshops, and accept artwork commissions.
Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned? Looking back, has it been easy or smooth in retrospect?
As with any journey, this one has had some bumps in the road – but they are all worth it! There is quite a learning curve when opening a retail space. From permitting before you can even up-fit the space to figuring out the social media advertising game to getting the community to find us on the side road downtown, it all takes patience, perseverance, and perspective. I’ve been so fortunate to have loads of support coming at me from my family, friends, community members, students, and other artists. Honestly, I’ve been humbled by this experience and have felt such love and kindness that have mellowed the bumps.
Let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
My work will evolve now that I have my studio full-time. While I can and do create in various media, I am often drawn to acrylic painting, which I truly enjoy. My recent focus has been conveying the moments of serenity and awe experienced in nature, a shift from the expressive portraits I mentioned previously. I sometimes break from landscapes/nature to create abstract expressive artworks that convey a mood, emotion, or something I’ve experienced. Regardless of my subject matter, I maintain a passion for expression, bold colors, mark-making, and discovery. My processes shift between impressionistic, detailed works focusing on color and light and abstract expressive works conveying emotion through repetition, line, and color theory. It’s funny because if someone were to look at my Instagram profile or come into the gallery, they would pin me as a landscape artist. However, this is relatively new for me in the past 5 years because I’ve spent so much time hiking, biking, and exploring outside. I never considered myself a landscape artist before, but it’s where my work exists now. I love the mountains and the beach – there is so much brilliance and inspiration in the ever-changing skies, sand, and trees, which I love to capture. I’m proud of these pieces because they bring a positive feeling, calmness, or memory to others – something needed with all the negativity in the world. I push my colors to a more vibrant level than is captured in the photo to create the mood I’m going for, and I am meticulous with details. I work from my photography (unless commissioned to work from a client’s photo). Because I was there in that moment, I have a deeper connection to the place I’m painting, which shows in the colors and strokes. Something that sets me apart is that I’m willing to teach techniques to teens and adults with a passion for learning art. My time as an art educator gave me experience in learning and teaching lots of methods – and I know how to meet artists at their skill levels – whether beginner or advanced – to help push them beyond where they are.
Can you talk to us about the role of luck?
Good luck has come in finding a space in downtown Fort Mill, which is tough to come by! Although we are not on Main Street, we have an excellent location for the gallery and a great parking lot for our customers. I’m not sure that the rest of it is luck as much as I feel blessed by God that we have this opportunity in our community. I’ve felt that way for my whole life – good or bad – it’s part of a bigger plan. I try to keep an open mind and feel it hard when it’s not going great. But there is always light on the other side. And I am using many aspects of my previous experience as a graphic designer and art educator in this studio & gallery business. It feels like a natural shift, and the other two experiences were the prerequisites!
Contact Info:
- Website: lucastudioandgallery.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lucastudiogallery/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lucastudiogallery
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/luca-studio-gallery/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/luca-studio-and-gallery-fort-mill
- Other: https://www.instagram.com/kellylucarelli_art/
Image Credits
Zoe Ranucci, Dennis McElhoe, Jane Hudson, Stacey Rubenstein, Rebecca Fara, Kate H. Quinn, Caryl Bray, Constance Buchanan
