Vibrant Irises Print

Misty Carey Artist Biography I grew up with a shovel in my hand on a farm in Eastern Montana. My dad taught me to work hard, travel fearlessly, and drive anything with more than one tire. My mom taught me a deep spirituality, appreciation of beauty, and to serve others. That is who I am. I’ve been making art most of my life. When I was a kid, my mom managed the Art Show at The Eastern Montana Fair. Every August, I worked on the top floor of the big exhibition hall, organizing and hanging art, staffing the floor, and talking to the public. I even won some blue ribbons for my own artwork. It was a great gig for a creative kid. I majored in art in college for a while, but practicality and ambition won out and I earned a degree in Business. My mom advised me, “You can always use a business degree,” and she was right. As a result, I’ve had many interesting jobs and owned a few businesses myself. After graduating from Montana State University, I worked in production in the Film and Television industry in Los Angeles. I earned an MFA in Screenwriting from Loyola Marymount University and wrote a ton of screenplays, none of which sold. I also fell in love with yoga, taught yoga and ran a yoga studio in Santa Monica for a decade. When life brought me back to Montana, I played with remodeling real estate -- giant creativity projects. My last career was in the marijuana business where I both owned a company and was active in the political evolution of the Montana cannabis industry. All the while, I have been making art. Clay was my medium of choice for a long while and I was an avid potter and ceramics artist. I belonged to The Clayhouse in Santa Monica and the senior members were generous about sharing their knowledge and skills. But my left shoulder started complaining about the big lumps of clay spinning on the wheel and, frankly, I was getting bored with the bland color palate of high fire clay. A couple of trips to Paris and the vibrant colors of “flat art” (as I call it) in museums and galleries brought me back to drawing and painting. On and off, depending on whatever business and schedule, I have been painting in my studio and screwing around with spray paint creations in the garage. It is my nature to have several projects going at once. So now I find myself with hundreds of paintings in my basement from those decades of work. I sold my last business and now have time to focus on my creative work. It is the harvest.