The Atelier

A working studio for original art, layered stories, unfinished ideas, and the materials that refuse to behave.

WELCOME TO MY MESSY TABLE

The Atelier is where Hot Mess Art takes shape through paint, paper, fabric, thread, found objects, Scripture, questions, and the ordinary pieces of life that follow me to the worktable.

Some pieces begin with a clear story. Others begin with a color, a scrap, a restless feeling, or something I cannot quite name yet.

This is a place to see the process, not only the finished result.

  • Momigami Play

  • Cactus House Retreat Board

  • Single Color Play Book

  • My Current Art Journal

  • My Commonplace Book

From the worktable

Studio Notes & Discoveries

A rotating collection of books, materials, sounds, ideas and small discoveries currently feeding the work.

Working in the Reggio Way by Julianne P. Wurm

Field Note 01

Currently Reading

Working in the Reggio Way

I’m diving into the Reggio Emilia approach as I shape my new Creative Studio classroom. I’ve been drawn to the way it treats curiosity, materials, environment and student ideas as essential parts of learning, rather than rushing everyone toward the same polished outcome.

What I keep discovering is that good creative education is less about controlling the process and more about paying close attention. The room can teach. Materials can invite questions. Documentation can help students notice their own growth. Unfinished experiments can be just as valuable as finished work.

It feels deeply connected to the way I already believe creativity works: through exploration, relationship, observation and permission to follow an idea somewhere unexpected.

Wool, sari silk, ribbons, handmade paper and art yarn materials

Field Note 02

Currently Using

Fibers that refuse to stay in their lane

Lately I’ve been fascinated by yarn that refuses to stay in its lane. I’m experimenting with wool, sari silk, ribbon, fabric scraps, old clothing and bits of softened paper to create texture-rich art yarn that can become part of dolls, tassels, collage and other mixed-media work.

I love that it lets leftover materials become something entirely new instead of disappearing into another supply bin.

Stormy sea with the words Step into the deep

Field Note 03

Currently Noticing

Psalm 46 + Step Into the Deep

I keep returning to Psalm 46 and the phrase “Step Into the Deep.” Sometimes faith is less about finding firmer ground and more about trusting God enough to move beyond the shoreline.

I’m noticing how often growth asks us to loosen our grip on what feels safe and controllable, and step toward what God is already doing. The water may be deeper, but His presence is deeper still.

Vintage gumball machine and wooden toy vending machine

small machines, big possibilities

Field Note 04

Currently Trying

Tiny art, unexpected places

I keep seeing art vending machines appearing in other cities, and I am completely taken with the idea of making tiny pieces of creativity available in unexpected places.

I’m starting with a vintage gumball machine and an upcycled wooden children’s vending machine, experimenting with what kinds of miniature art, paper goods and curious little treasures might fit inside.

It is still very much in the figuring-it-out stage, which may be my favorite stage.

Currently Listening: Jesus The Only by Tiffany Hudson and Davide Mutendji

Field Note 05

Currently Listening

Jesus The Only

This has become our newest car-worship anthem. Angelina and I absolutely love it, and apparently we are incapable of playing it quietly.

There is something beautifully simple and powerful about a song that brings everything back to Jesus as the only One worthy of the glory.