Hello! Thanks for stopping by High Horse Art Studio. I’m Kelly, the maker behind the brand.

I’ve been creating for as long as I can remember, with a few brief creativity hiatuses thanks to back-to-back pregnancies followed by back-to-back years of cancer treatment.

Yep. I’m a mom. I’m a wife. I have a full-time day job on the corporate side of healthcare. And my most recent title: cancer survivor.

I just finished two years of active treatment for Stage II, estrogen-receptive-only, BRCA1-mutated, multifocal, Invasive Ductal Carcinoma and Ductal Carcinoma In-situ, otherwise known as hereditary, aggressive Breast Cancer. I was 32-years old with a 15-month old and 2.5-year old, and was the sole income provider for my family. I have fought my way through chemo, radiation, surgeries, hormone suppression, reconstruction, fertility preservation, more chemo and now, survivorship. I have had to claw, bite and scream to get here. I have experienced indescribable pain and sadness and fear – and I had no where to put it. 

But I am here. I survived.

And now, I am coming back to life again – the full me. It started slowly, picking up a paint brush again, and fell like an avalanche all at once, the experiences and nightmares and growth I needed to get out, through each rediscovered medium – clay, wax, charcoal…

With reignited appreciation for all the little things, our everyday habits and rituals – the moments of happiness and energy when you feel alive.

High Horse is my way of celebrating that. I work in small batches in my home studio, using handbuilding methods and the cleanest, non-toxic materials possible. I pour hours of that energy into everything I make; the courage to grow and process emotions and experiences into growth, change, and most of all, gratitude for the small bits of magic we can each experience every day, if you just open your eyes—and heart—up for it.

Something as simple as the way a cool cup feels in your warm hands early in the morning or the comforting aroma of a perfect memory filling your home when you light a clean candle; freshly-cut flowers in a pretty vase that you smile at every time you pass or the light clinking sound of your most cherished piece of jewelry, placed safely in a pretty resting spot at the end of a long day.

Those are the moments that matter. And I think they should feel special, no matter how small, because they truly are gifts.

And that’s what I am celebrating in slip and scents. Every minute I’ve put into these pieces has meant something to me. And I want to share that with you now, pouring my energy into creating functional work that reminds you to notice the magic moments in each day. Savor those seconds.

I hope you’ll love your purchases from High Horse Art Studio as much as I’ve loved making them for you. 

Please contact me directly for custom requests, wholesale inquires and commission work.