Finding My Way Back to Art

Hi, I’m Izzy Pierce — an artist, creative, and storyteller currently based in Park City, Utah. But my journey began in Kansas City, Missouri, a place that shaped nearly every part of who I am as a person and as an artist.

Kansas City gets an interesting reputation — people often think of barbecue and jazz, but what many don’t realize is that it’s also an artistic powerhouse. I grew up surrounded by creativity in every corner of the city. From wandering through First Fridays in the Crossroads District, where local artists filled warehouses with energy and experimentation, to spending countless afternoons at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art or the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, art was a part of my daily life.

Those experiences shaped my eye for composition, color, and feeling. I remember standing in front of huge oil paintings, completely absorbed in the texture of brushstrokes or the way a shadow curved around a face. Even as a kid, I felt something inside me wake up when I was around art. It wasn’t just admiration — it was connection.

But like many artists, I took a long break from creating. Life shifted. I moved to Park City and became a ski instructor, falling in love with the mountain lifestyle, the crisp mornings, and the connection between people and nature. It was fulfilling in one sense — but deep down, I knew something was missing. I wasn’t expressing myself. I wasn’t using that creative part of me that had always been there.

When I transitioned into a marketing career, everything changed. I began working on design projects, photography, and branding — all of which reminded me how much I loved visual storytelling. Marketing reignited that creative spark, and suddenly I found myself itching to make something with my hands again.

One day, I walked into a thrift store and saw an old, faded painting in a broken frame. Instead of seeing trash, I saw a blank canvas — a chance to give something forgotten new life. That moment started what would become a huge part of my process: recycling and reimagining art. I began painting over thrifted art pieces, breathing color and story back into discarded frames.

This process became a personal philosophy: sustainable creation. The world is already overflowing with material things — so why not work with what already exists? Art doesn’t need to be pristine or brand-new to be meaningful. It just needs to be real.

Today, I approach every piece with that belief — that art is for everyone, and it doesn’t have to be perfect to have purpose.

Creating has become a way for me to connect not only with others, but with myself. And that journey — from the galleries of Kansas City to the slopes of Park City — is what keeps me painting, imagining, and telling stories through color.