From weaving to mixed media, artist Kaci Smith finds joy in experimenting across techniques and following her creative curiosity wherever it leads. With an art journey that began in childhood and a studio just steps from her home, Kaci shares how she keeps her practice playful, pressure-free, and full of discovery.
Tell us more about how your journey as an artist began?
The journey began as far back as I have memory. I guess I was always that “Artsy Kid” in class.
I remember starting a new school in second grade, and trying to gain friends by gifting drawings of animals.
I had artist grandparents on both sides, very creative aunts, and an artistic father. And I was lucky enough to have parents who paid attention to my interests and aptitudes, so while my sister was in dance lessons, I was taking painting and drawing classes from a very young age.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Read more about our affiliate linking policy.
I took every art class my high school had to offer, and went to art college, where I discovered textile design.
What was the moment you realized “I want to make art for a living”?
I guess the answer to that would be “Never”!
I’m a big advocate for normalizing having a day-job that is separate from your main passion. Since I’ve never had to rely on making art for a living, by choice, it’s kept the pressure very low and kept my artmaking joyful.
I’m sure that my relationship to my practice would feel very different if I needed art sales to pay my bills. I like having a separate and dependable source of income, and that I can make my art for myself and not with the goal of selling it.
Did you have a favorite craft or project when you were little that still inspired you?
Well, I absolutely loved all arts and crafts when I was little. But probably the little loom for weaving potholders with stretchy fabric loops. I think my mom still has some of those potholders that I made for her over 40 years ago!
Where do you find inspiration for your designs? What influences your color choices?
I find inspiration in unexpected places.
While I love being in nature, I tend to find more inspiration in urban spaces with a lot of visual stimulation. Graffiti, torn paper layers on billboards, stacks of containers at the port, random groupings of color in daily life… Oh, and textiles that I see in my travels are another main source of inspiration.
Since you work across multiple media, how do you decide which technique you’ll use on a certain day?
It works best for me if I integrate all of my media/techniques within the same day.
I used to try to organize my practice by season: painting and mixed media in the warm months, and weaving in the cold rainy months. But that didn’t work. I’ve found that I need a tandem practice, and that my painting and mixed media work informs my weaving and vice versa. And when I tire of one thing, I can switch to another discipline.
I usually do my messy spontaneous art in the morning and my weaving in the evenings. The weaving is much more technical and meditative, so it helps my nervous system at the end of a long day.
Describe your creative space.
It’s an outbuilding just a few steps away from my house. There’s a big worktable in the center that I can move all the way around, a couple of easels, a comfy sofa, and many shelves of books.
I also have a small computer desk area that I try to keep relatively tidy for the business side of things.
I love having my studio as an extension of my home. It makes it easy to come and go for short amounts of time. Sometimes I only have 15-20 minutes in a day for my art practice, so not having to travel to a studio is key.
What are the must-have supplies in your studio?
Lots and lots of scraps: Paper, fabric, ephemera, wrappers, pieces of larger art that I’ve torn to bits. And I need it spread all around me while I work, so I can grab different things to try in my compositions.
What does a perfect day in your studio look like?
An early start with a cup of coffee, then some time to warm up (mark-making, gelli-printing, collage).
A visit from an artist friend where we work on projects together and talk out ideas.
Later on, I like to have the music cranked to help get into a flow state with some larger paintings. There’s likely to be some dancing around!
Once I’m tired, I head back to the house to settle in with a small weaving project with a cat on my lap.
Do you sketch first? Or just jump in?
Just jump in. Always.
How do you know when a piece is “done”?
With weaving it’s much more straightforward; there’s a distinct beginning, middle and end of the process.
With my other work, it’s much trickier to determine. I just begin to get a particular feeling inside me that a piece is almost done. Then I set it aside for a while, out of sight. When I look at it again, I kind of try to sneak up on it and see it with fresh eyes.
That’s when I see things differently than I did when I was too close to the process, and it helps me refine even further or make adjustments.
What’s your favorite part of making a new piece? And the hardest part?
The beginning is my favorite part. I just let myself play with no thought about the outcome, channeling my inner kindergartener. The possibilities seem endless.
The hardest part is the “messy middle” where things actually look worse before they get better again. I’m glad I have enough confidence that I know that awkward phase is temporary, so I’m less freaked out when I’m in that middle space.
What advice would you give someone just starting to make art?
Make a lot!! And work on a bunch of pieces at once.
I don’t think you can really start to understand your own artwork until you have at least a hundred or more completed pieces. That’s when you start to see what is really working and themes developing organically.
I know for me, there was angst about figuring out my “unique style” right away. I’m still working on that, but I know that quantity, consistency, and experimentation are the keys to that understanding, and it can’t be rushed.
What do you wish someone had told you before you began your art career?
That you don’t need to make ART with a Capital A all the time. Enjoy the process, have fun, and don’t take yourself too seriously. And working in more than one medium or style is just fine. Just keep at it.
What keeps you curious and motivated from piece to piece?
Constantly asking myself the questions that start with: “What if I try…” and “What would happen if…” I love that making art is just a series of small experiments and micro-decisions.
Where can people see your work?
Website: Kaci Smith Art https://www.kacismithart.com/
Instagram: @kacismith https://www.instagram.com/kacismith/
Interview posted October 2025
Browse through more mixed media inspiration on Create Whimsy.