About the Artist

Hi! I'm Liz Salser. I am an artist who created the brand Mudkind Studio to share my work. My style is highly expressive, characterized by a deep saturation of color and a highlighting of nature's beauty. I just graduated from Ball State University with an Art Education Major specializing in Ceramics. I also have a love of Stained/Fused Glass, Jewelry, Watercolor, Mixed media, but am also interested in many other art forms. I am starting to open up commissions, give lessons, host Art parties/Events, and I would like to start teaching community or homeschool groups!

Art has always been a part of my life, even as a child. My parents would often find me at 5 am watching Bob Ross. Occasionally, they would also find me using art in rambunctious ways, like splatter painting next to walls, putting permanent hand prints on the outside sidewalk with wall paint, painting my dad’s fully brass grasshopper green (because its supposed to be green right?), and even spray painting IN the house. When I wasn’t destroying our house, I was building my own diorama dream bedrooms, full of miniature hot-glued furniture, mainly inspired by Zebra, Paris, and by iCarly’s “iGot a Hot Room” episode (the gummy bear lamp was iconic for those who know). My creations were mainly supplied by my dad’s pharma sales cardboard shipments, and my mom’s college art supplies (sorry Mom, for never cleaning those brushes).

I made birthday party theme plans a year in advance just so I could hand-make decorations, and create inventive gifts for every holiday. Sometimes my playroom-turned-art room was so messy I would tell them I was making them something so they couldn’t go in there to see what a wreck it was. Basically, they had YEARS of my art gifts because mess has always been a part of my process. I clean my craft spaces just to start a new project and wreck it again.

As an early bird, I had too much time before school, and would stare at art supplies till I had inspiration to make something. I had a passion to always be creating, even if my supplies was unconventional. On a few occasions, my cousin and I glued abstract scrap wood together (from my dad’s childhood toy business) and would hustle our family into buying it for pennies at our art shows we put on. I’ve always been entrepreneurial like my dad, and creative like my mom.

Most of my early projects as a child required all the tape, scissors, paint, and hot glue in the house. As my supply stash dwindled, my love for fashion started to grow—and soon after, I began selling clothes. I had binders full of drawn designs and practice drawing models. Taking over my mom’s art supplies wasn’t enough; I now infiltrated her sewing room. The best part is she let me. My grandma, who’s a talented quilter, taught me to make a Halloween costume for my dog, and a zebra hot pink quilt, of course. After seam ripping endlessly, I decided I no longer wanted to be a fashion designer or an interior designer. I went to a small school for middle and high school, and with that, we had limited funding for art classes. I focused on 2D works during this time, which led me to watercolor. Finally, in college, I got to experiment with clay, glass, and jewelry, my new favorite mediums, unsurprisingly all 3D functional art forms which remind me of my roots in cardboard and fabric.

Even with as many messes as I made, my family always supported my creativity because they knew it was a gift from God, meant to share the joy of creating with intention. I named my small business Mudkind Studio because "mud" reminds me of clay—the raw, messy material full of potential and “kind” because I want my creations to carry purpose, spread kindness, and reflect the beauty of giving back. The name also points to God as the ultimate potter, shaping us with care and intention. Mudkind echoes mankind, inspired by how we were made from mud in Genesis 2:7:
"And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being."

Currently, 10% of all art profits will go towards DestinyRescue, a non-profit organization that helps free children from sex slavory and trafficking. I believe I was “created to create” from a caring, all-powerful creator, to be able to give back to those who do not have a voice.

If you're interested in learning a new skill, wanting to plan a craft party, commission a piece, take a lesson, or simply bring home some happy, handmade art, reach out below!