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Dara Weyna Studio

@daraweyna

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Paint | Crochet | Collage
❤️🩷🧡💛💚🩵💙
Fan Girl of Wilco
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Making some small free-form, colorful abstracts in oil pastels for the upcoming Fort Collins Open Studio and Sale on the 24th and 25th.
I will be at @kestrelfieldstudio with @teddiparkerart and I’ll have lots of prints and small original works (under $30) for sale. Get that holiday shopping done early! (Bonus points for buying local and handmade and not at Amazon!)
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#fortcollinsart #fortcollinsartist #oilpastel by @daraweyna

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4 days ago

We didn’t make it into many art museums while in Paris, but we did see a lot of street art, especially in the Butte-Aux-Cailles and Canal-St-Martin neighborhoods. My new favorite find is @59rivoli in the 1st; a funky artist-run gallery and open studio where art covers every square inch of space from the walls to the floors. So inspiring! by @daraweyna

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7 days ago

Big female Virgo energy on display @waywardfoco! Thank you @wild.earth.artwork for the nudge to pierce the crochet nips!
❤️❤️
(And @angela_herrera_lockhart I snagged your flower photo because it is SO beautiful and feminine.)
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#fortcollinsartist #downtownfortcollins #shoplocal #feministartist by @daraweyna

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a month ago

Happy 18! Our marriage is officially an adult. Thanks for all the big and little things in our life. I ❤️ U by @daraweyna

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a month ago

Painted a new home for my big girl and moved her in this week. I hope she likes it!
#plantmama by @daraweyna

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2 months ago

I was invited by the very kind and generous @kestrelfieldstudio to participate in a three day residency at their beautiful facility in Fort Collins. The timing of this invitation couldn’t have been more kismet, as it was happening right at the beginning of the school year, which herald’s in a return to rhythm and stability. The oppressive heat of the summer made it nearly impossible for me to work in my un-air-conditioned studio, a practice, which is a foundational component of my mental health. So when I go for long periods of not working, the depression and negative thoughts creep in really fast. Add to that, a rotating door of teenage bodies and energy and loud music (and I know I am supposed to revel in this time and enjoy it before they move on, and I do love having extra kids in our home, but it can be a lot even when I feel grounded.) Suffice to say, I was very ready for a reset and a return to myself and my practice. I had zero idea of what I would be doing while there, but I figured that once I relaxed things would flow. It didn’t take long for that to happen and I quickly eased into a space of experimentation and play, a component that’s been missing in my studio practice for quite some time. For 3 days, I played with random materials, cut up old magazines, mixed colors, watched dvds, listened to music, looked at the clouds, moved my body, made marks on paper and rediscovered a long lost love of oil pastels. Each day I would set a timer for 10 minutes and scribble out a design on a sheet of watercolor paper and push the idea as far as I could in that time. It was so good to loosen up. My dormant creative spark was relit. Heather (the artist/proprietor) asked me what kind of advice I might offer to someone seeking a residency for the first time. I can’t remember exactly what I said, but in this moment I would say: no matter where you are on your artistic journey, a residency is always a step in the right direction because at its essence it is a commitment to your craft. Why pursue such an endeavor as the arts if not because you believe in yourself and know there is a tiny spark inside of you that may just need some extra flint? by @daraweyna

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2 months ago

Thank you @kestrelfieldstudio for this opportunity. It has been such a gift. I found my spark again. 🔥❤️ by @daraweyna

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2 months ago

I’m feeling especially grateful today for the art community that I’ve become a part of in Fort Collins and Windsor. Thankful for the people who are not only supportive face-to face, but whose kindness ripples out to their own circles where they speak about and share my work. It’s these kind of small gifts that slowly build an offline network of like-minded artists, collectors and curators. It’s taken time, dedication and a willingness to seek out this community because I believe so strongly in the power of art to affect positive change in our world, to build bridges, spark meaningful conversations and create lasting friendships. The momentum is palpable and it has widened my path forward for others to join me on the journey. ❤️ @cornerstone.foco @deck_of_art @christine.f.hogg @somonocestudio @mightyfineartist @jillpmottphotography @radish.hq @waywardfoco @kestrelfieldstudio by @daraweyna

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3 months ago

This one took a very long time to work through but I’m really pleased with the final result.
I am participating in a collaborative art show where visual artists are paired with writers/poets. I’ve carried the poem that I was given around in my sketchbook for months trying to think about what its essence could look like visually. I knew that I didn’t want the imagery to be too literal, but rather more metaphorical and I knew that I wanted hands to be the focal point of the piece. I love to draw hands and I used my own as reference.
When it came time to start working on it, I was so focused on it being on a circular panel but no matter what I tried it never felt right. So halfway through my first design I completely scrapped it and separated the hands into 3 different panels instead and used the circular motif in a new way.
I also really wanted to move away from strictly making “a drawing” or “a painting” and instead I unified them in a collage style. It’s really satisfying to make small cut-outs and I am itching to make more multi-media work again.
Acrylic, colored pencil, watercolor, graphite. by @daraweyna

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3 months ago

2026 has so far been one of the busiest years I’ve had as an artist. I usually don’t have the bandwidth to photograph and share all that I’m doing and making. (I mostly pop on Instagram to reshare stories and reels of other people commenting on the state of our ever-changing and devolving country and then jump off.) I guess that’s just what this platform has become for me, which is fine.
But as I was working through a small panic attack today trying to figure out how I am going to meet all the deadlines in front of me, I had a realization that completely flipped the narrative for me. This is the first time that I’m making work for other people/projects because I first made and shared work for myself. I developed my own bodies of work for years with no other agenda aside from wanting to pull the ideas from my head with my hands into something tangible. And there were very few sales, very few shows and very little recognition, but slowly over time that perseverance and dedication has paid off and a network began to form of people who are interested in my work.
I started to get invited to shows, requests for commissions and people around town recognizing and appreciating my art. That is an indescribable feeling!! So as I sat here today freaking out about how I’m going to get everything done on time, it dawned on me what a treasure this kind of “stress” is. I am making work for other people because I never gave up on making work for myself and I suddenly feel very proud and am willing to say it out loud and not dismiss it. by @daraweyna

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4 months ago

I love to repurpose my own artwork!
You can find a rotating selection of originals and prints @waywardfoco all under $50.
😘 by @daraweyna

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5 months ago

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5 months ago