Today we’d like to introduce you to Lizz Klaras.
Hi Lizz , we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Hi, I’m Lizz Klaras, the artist behind LK Custom Creations. I am originally from Petersburg, Illinois, a rural little town right in the middle of the state. I grew up always involved in some sort of art project, whether it was for school or for fun. I began painting around the age of eleven and was completely inspired by no other than, Bob Ross. I wanted nothing more than to have my life career be as joyful as how I felt Bob was on tv. Ultimately, I chose to attend the Savannah College of Art and Design and study illustration. Little did I know how technology and the timing of it all would create what I am doing today. After graduating in 2004, my life was filled with all sorts of random “art” related jobs. I would say yes to anything I thought I was capable of, just to get my name out into the world. I dabbled in set design, drafted medical illustrations, painted portraits, painted murals, painted faces, illustrated brochures, designed business cards and logos, you name it! At this point, I wasn’t really sure how this would work and it took almost a decade to figure out what I loved the most. Seven years of my life after college was also spent as a business account manager for a logistics company. This was not my favorite thing to do, but gave me great exposure to customer service skills, communication and business management. In the Fall of 2013, my husband found an opportunity for our family to move in a new direction. He enlisted in the US Navy and we moved to Chesapeake, VA. I was able to leave the logistics job and finally figure out how I could create this dream career. September 2013, LK Custom Creations became an official Etsy shop. I started out selling custom wedding invitations and little cut paper frames that were a big hit for events. This whole time my husband was deployed and I was home with our one year old daughter in a new place. It was a stressful but exciting time. I was finally feeling like I was figuring it all out. However, the digital designing and paper cutting became a little daunting to me. I kept trying to find other projects that would allow me to paint, as I felt that was what was missing. I started researching how to paint glass and instantly fell in love. I loved how you could paint all sides. I loved how the paint felt on the surface, how quick it dried and how easy it was to clean up. I loved how unique it was and everything about it was just fun! With the success of the glass painted items, I decided to exclusively paint on glass for my shop. Over the years, my business has expanded drastically because of my loyal customers who give me the best ideas and stretch my talent. I have always loved custom work and believe in giving people only what they imagined or more. In 2023, my family once again relocated for the military to my dream location in North Florida! I have now been solely running the business for nearly 13 years and every year has been better than the last. I used every earning from my shop to create a dream studio. Now, the sole focus of my business is to help my daughter’s new passion. She has found a love for barrel racing and I am hoping to give her the best experience possible with this sport. Every sale helps a girl live her dream and I am doing exactly what I was always meant to do, as well. I am living a dream that was created over a lifetime.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The most difficult part of this journey has been having to uproot my business and family 3 times for the military. It is already quite difficult to move to a different state and when you have a small art business, that can be a very unique challenge. As I usually had an idea of when we were about to move, I always tried to sell most of my inventory before trusting the military with transporting several cases of glassware across the country. There is so much preplanning required to make each move successful. However, I feel like I finally got it down! Each move was a learning experience where I had to find ways to keep the business running smooth and future buyers engaged during the short periods where I was scrambling behind the scenes, putting my whole life back together again.
Recently, I find that the growth of the internet is my main challenge. While it is a wonderful tool to get exposure, it has also landed my original designs into some of the wrong hands. I have run across several online platforms stealing designs and other sellers trying to imitate or even recreate my unique style that I have been developing for years! Unfortunately, chasing around imposters has now become part of my routine and this is a true problem for so many other artists, as well.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a glass painter. I love painting on glass as it is usually an item that I can create into an extraordinary USABLE piece of art. I fell in love with painting glass as there were so many possibilities when it came to the shape of my canvas. I can paint on the inside. I can paint on the outside, the bottom, the top, all over! When you do that, you can achieve an extra 3D effect to your piece. With this art style, I also developed an unusual method of painting, which I like to refer to as “reverse-style painting”. For example, if I were to paint a vase, I want it to be a whole experience, both inside and out. Every angle and the whole piece needs to speak as a scene and work together. By using the reverse painting technique, some of the smallest details are painted first, in a backwards type fashion. There are very few other glass painters who attempt this technique. It has taken me several years to master and it is displayed in nearly all my work. Painting on glass is also very challenging when it comes to achieving opacity. As you are painting on a translucent surface, it can be difficult and very time consuming to build up the medium enough where you can no longer see through it and at the same time, keep a smooth texture and minimal visible brush strokes. I do think this is where my work stands out against my competitors. I like to make every image pop off the glass and make you forget it is painted.
We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
As I am originally from the Midwest, seeing the ocean for the first time is a fond memory. I always knew I was meant to live near the ocean and it often is a big influence in my work.
Pricing:
- Made-To-Order Designs are available on the website and are created in the order of which they are received. These designs may be customized and personalized usually for no additional fees.
- Custom work goes through a selection process and produced from February-September. Customers are able to submit potential project ideas each month and only limited projects will be selected every cycle.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.LKCustomCreations.Etsy.com
- Instagram: @LKCustomCreations
- Facebook: https://www.Facebook.com/LKCustomCreations
