Ampersand Cards - Kay Foley

Throughout graduate school in counseling psychology, Kay Foley wondered if she was where she should be. Most of her friends were writers or artists, she was always reading novels and doing art with her kids, and she had toyed with the idea of switching to English many times. But after so many years going to school part-time while raising her three boys and working fulltime at the University of Missouri-Columbia, changing fields seemed daunting. She had put herself through college and received a bachelor's degree in psychology. The high cailber of her undergraduate work and high GPA were impressive enough for the prestigious Phi Beta Kappa academic honor society to offer her a membership. She was on the road to a Master's in counseling psychology and a detour at age 40 seemed impractical.

Master's in hand, she accepted a position at William Woods University in Fulton as Director of the WellWomen Program. She was given free reign to create a women's wellness program from the ground up. She managed the entire program, building the library from scratch, taking her peer educators on overnight camping/ropes course trips, putting on an annual wellness fair and 5K walk/run, and even getting trained as a ropes course facilitator. The job gave her lots of flexibility, plenty of opportunities to use her creativity, and introduced her to the National Wellness Institute's annual conference. At the conference, workshops on everything from yoga to mindfulness to fitness and adventure learning opened her up to a whole world of new ideas and practices.

After the grant that funded her program ended, Kay began working at the McCambridge Center, a local treatment center for women trying to get off drugs and alcohol. Although she had achieved many of her personal goals, she found that the stress of the job was draining her of her joy and creativity. She knew that something had to change.

She and her sister, both artists, read Julia Cameron's The Artist's Way. She credits this book with inspiring her to take the plunge into the world of the professional artist. A lifetime author of quirky plays, books, and poems, she combined her writing ability with her talent for visual art and created "Ampersand Cards". Her goal with the cards was to offer people joy, hope, and humor.

Her handmade cards are uplifting and full of her unique slant on life: "As a child I did not like school and even now, am tempted, when passing a schoolyard, to throw open the gates and shout, "You're free! Go! Go! You're free!" and watch, smiling, as all the children run gaily off to play their own games, no bell or buzzer telling them when to STOP."

"One day I realized that true grace (and even joy) lay in the ability to accept what is. At that moment I went out the door and reveled in the steel grey sky and bare trees, knowing that they are an essential part of life.

A lover of art fairs from way back (Kay co-chaired Columbia's Art in the Park in 1978 and 1979 with Mary Benjamin), she set her sights on showing her work at a fair or two. Bigger pieces seemed to be in order for that, and her unique art form--narrative collage-was born. Each piece centers around her writing, some more philosophical and others more humorous. Her piece, "Cat Burglar," won 1st prize in the Columbia Art League's "Whimsy--What's Your Medium?" in April of 2003. The piece reads: "One day she would be a cat burglar, she vowed, creeping in and out of fancy houses--not so much for the diamonds (although accessories are ALL important) but just so she could wear the outfit." She has recreated the "Cat Burglar" several times, and they now live in homes in Illinois, Missouri, and Kansas. Another piece, "Mid-Life," took second prize in the "Humor Me" show the following year.

Today, Kay Foley sells her cards and narrative collages both wholesale and from her booth in art fairs across the Midwest. She is now playing around with work in 3 dimensions and trying to finish a book of her verses to sell to the many customers who have asked for one. She supplements her art/card business income with piano teaching and occasional freelance editing.

"Beautiful Columbia MO," as she refers to it, has been home to Kay Foley for over 30 years. After growing up in St. Louis, she spent a few years in San Francisco, and eventually moved to Columbia, where a few high school friends were living. For Foley, Columbia is the perfect size and type of town; and it is her sons' hometown. She lives in a quiet, eclectic neighborhood in the center of town, where the houses are small but cozy and the neighbors know and like each other. Foley believes that she, her dog, and her neighbors are living the American Dream. It is five minutes to downtown and fifteen minutes to beautiful Gans Creek Wild Area, an unspoiled, untamed, wooded park where she and her poodle like to wander.

Kay's three sons have also inherited her artistic ability. Oldest son Cole lives in New York City, where he works for an artist, does a bit of freelance editing, and some DJing. He has had photographs published in the New York Times Magazine and is available to design websites for other artists. Peter is a filmmaker living in Scotland whose documentary film, "Just to Get a Rep," premiered last year at the Edinburgh International Film Festival. He does web design in Edinburgh, including Kay's site, www.ampersandcards.com and his own, www.accidentalmedia.com. Youngest son, Oliver, lives in Columbia and plans to pursue photography as a career. He has had photographs published in "The Ivy Review," Columbia College's literary magazine. Whenever the three of them manage to be in the same place at the same time, they visit art museums, watch films, and/or enjoy the great outdoors. Their last trip together took them camping and hiking in Yosemite National Park.

Ampersand Cards
Kay Foley
409 W. Walnut St.
Columbia, MO
e-mail Ampersand Cards
www.ampersandcards.com

 

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