Art TANK Studio

Art TANK Studio Art TANK Studio is a place to explore creativity. Individual coaching and workshops available - let's go exploring.

Kelly Penrod is an award-winning artist, she sees creativity as a primary factor in therapeutic and spiritual growth. She has given workshops on “Discovering Creativity through the use of Recycle Materials” at the Jung Center in Houston and the Art League in Lake Jackson. She provides Creative Coaching to blocked minds guiding their exploration of what they may have learned from our culture (that

they are worthless and disposable) into creating something new from worthless, disposable materials. Through this process, they discover they have a place and a value.

​Kelly believes creativity is the life blood of all people - each person is creative, yet many adults have been socialized to shut off their creativity. She practices creativity by means of sculpture, drawing, digital, photography, fabric art, and any other means she may want to explore. She sees creativity as one of the major ways people can heal from trauma, grief, and addiction. As an alcohol and drug counselor, she uses creativity to help clients transform. At her studio in Houston, Kelly teaches individuals and groups to use art to heal individually and grow community through the use of whimsical sculptures. Kelly began using recycled materials several years ago. She saw how much garbage is created and thought much of it could be put to use in art. Detergent bottles become the beginning form for sculptures, seed pods become bird feathers, and pumpkin stems become bird beaks. Perhaps Kelly’s most important influence is her four-year old granddaughter who teaches Kelly to stay alert to new details, as well as to the wonders of the world.

I sat down to draw this image, i had no metaphor or word prompts in mind. I just wanted a quiet time to draw with pencil...
01/16/2026

I sat down to draw this image, i had no metaphor or word prompts in mind. I just wanted a quiet time to draw with pencil to practice “looking.” Later, I started noticing things I hadn’t planned.

The door is right there. The steps are small, but not insignificant. And as my architectural friend pointed out, the door probably pulls open instead of pushes, which means stepping backward while balancing forward… not exactly confidence-inspiring if your balance isn’t great.

So there he is. Pausing. Not because he doesn’t want to go in. It’s because entering might be harder than it looks, and not wanting to fall. Anyway, it struck me how often life does this. Opportunities, conversations, changes, even “the right thing” can still require balance, timing, and a moment to ask, How am I going to do this without falling or failing?

Creativity works the same way. Sometimes the hardest part isn’t starting ... it’s noticing the steps, the angle, the pull of the door, and giving yourself permission to pause instead of forcing your way through. It’s the looking at life.

So this drawing reminds me that pausing isn’t procrastination. Sometimes it’s wisdom checking to see if I’m stable. 😀

The title of this watercolor is Earned Depletion.. my random three words this morning were depletion, calm, listen.
01/06/2026

The title of this watercolor is Earned Depletion.. my random three words this morning were depletion, calm, listen.

Almost done..
12/03/2025

Almost done..

10/27/2025
In North Zulch, Texas today. Digital play with tree branches and crows.  Beautiful Autumn day…
10/18/2025

In North Zulch, Texas today. Digital play with tree branches and crows. Beautiful Autumn day…

ICAD day 11: library - collage - found image & text, 4x6” index card
05/29/2025

ICAD day 11: library - collage - found image & text, 4x6” index card

10/03/2024

Ok, here's my song for the day ... Some people think AI "steals" from artists or writers because of how it creates new things. AI looks at huge amounts of data, like books, art, and other creative work, and uses patterns from that to make something new.

Critics say this is unfair because AI doesn't give credit to the original creators or pay them for their work. (what about libraries or the radio -- are they stealing when they don't pay the writer for sharing their book or give back to the musician for playing their music?)

This raises questions about who really owns the work and whether it's fair to use AI for creative things.

However, we humans do something similar. We also get ideas by reading, watching, and experiencing things, which we then use to write stories, paint, or make music. BOTH AI and people build on existing ideas, but the big difference is that humans add their personal experiences and intentions to their work, making it more unique... like this one, after hearing enough of the negativity about Ai tools. Listen to my song...Creativity without borders!

https://youtu.be/LMhfR_soGuc?si=k8Gm2InjVBfIMJnK

08/22/2024

Need some TIN CANS… all sizes. Please save them for me if you’re able to.

We have a black cat named INDI, which is an acronym for I’m Not Doing It.  She has been a sweet companion for the past 1...
08/14/2024

We have a black cat named INDI, which is an acronym for I’m Not Doing It. She has been a sweet companion for the past 17 yrs.

Digital artwork begins with play. Using Ai to take the play further to see what you might want to paint.  I drew the und...
08/08/2024

Digital artwork begins with play. Using Ai to take the play further to see what you might want to paint. I drew the under picture. Using some Ai filters then creating this digital painting

Sometimes you just gotta play
08/01/2024

Sometimes you just gotta play

Playing catch up ICAD 5: patisserie; watercolor on 4x6”ICAD 6: owl; watercolor on 4x6
06/06/2024

Playing catch up

ICAD 5: patisserie; watercolor on 4x6”
ICAD 6: owl; watercolor on 4x6

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Houston, TX

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