Maddie Ivey

I came to art in the early days of motherhood. Three years ago, with a new baby in my arms, I found myself longing to make things — to rediscover who I was, and to reconnect with the child in me who once created without hesitation. Anxiety and perfectionism had quietly held me back for years, and art offered a way through: a place to embrace my creative side fully, and to soften those old tendencies along the way. I fell in love with soft pastel almost at once, and returned to it again and again over the next two years.

The arrival of my second child, alongside a season of chronic illness, made something clear to me: creating was not a luxury but a necessity — the thing that fills my cup. I began to set aside dedicated time for it, and with that time came new mediums to explore, first acrylic, then oil pastel. They have brought so much light into my life, and my hope is that each piece carries a little of that light to you.