Eniola Abioye, QUIVER
- May 25, 2016
- 4 min read

Riley & Kelsey Holloway

Kelsey Holloway, Founder of Bibs & Co. (left) and Riley Holloway, Fine Art painter and illustrator (right) #CreateGate_DFW

TELL US WHAT YOU BOTH DO

RH: I’m a figurative painter, illustrator based in Dallas and I’ve recently signed with Fort Works Art, in Fort Worth, TX.

KH: I make baby clothing from organic & sustainable fabrics. People like my stuff because of the fun prints and comfy designed fits. Bibs & Co. started April 2015 (almost a year!). I didn't intend for this to be a business. I started making clothing for our daughter, Bailey. I posted photos of what I made on my social media. It gained a lot of attention and I needed to bring in income while being a stay-at-home mom, so Bibs & Co. was born.

WHEN DID YOU KNOW YOU WANTED TO DO YOUR ART FULL-TIME? HOW DID YOU MAKE THAT LEAP AS INDIVIDUALS AND AS A MARRIED COUPLE?

RH: A portrait I painted in 2009 lead me to pursue art full time. I was attending the Art Institute of Dallas, majoring in motion graphics at the time. I was learning to oil paint on my own and through different resources and painted a portrait that I was proud of and decided to leave Art Institute of Dallas and pursue fine art.

KH: When I knew I had a true passion for it. I never would have thought I'd have the patience for sewing, but after becoming a mom, you don't have a choice but to gain a lot of patience. It's also time consuming. I "clock in" about 60 hours a week when I factor in sewing, shipping, designing, marketing, e-mailing, & brainstorming. Riley & I are reasonable people & trust each other's ideas. We think about both tomorrow & 3 years from now in every business decision we make.

WHAT DOES A DAY LIKE AT THE HOLLOWAY HOUSEHOLD? DO YOU BOTH CREATE FROM HOME? DOES IT EVER GET CROWDED OR DISTRACTING?

RH: I usually wake up around 5:00/5:30am, about two hours before Kelsey and Bailey wake up. That way I can plan my day out, or else I’m no good. We get Bailey ready and off to daycare around 8am and from there we try and complete as much as we can before 6pm when daycare close. [The] rest of the day pretty much revolves around Bailey. I usually create at my studio in Dallas on Dragon St. from 10am to 4pm. When I want to spend more time at home or if I’m working on smaller pieces, then I’ll work at home in the garage. It never seems crowded, but it can be a little distracting at times.

KH: Wake up with Bailey around 7:30am, try to get her to sleep for 30 more minutes, usually doesn't happen. Get her ready for school on weekdays. Riley takes her. I always work from home. I try to schedule things in advance, but usually I figure it out each morning. I prioritize most important to least important. I do the most important first (usually sewing & shipping) & least important if I can (usually laundry). I can be distracting... I ask him for food a lot & sometimes get him to take a short nap with me.

Surprise: The Holloway's are expecting another cutie this year!

IF SOMEONE WAS TO GIFT YOU SOMETHING THAT WOULD HELP CATAPULT YOUR ART TO THE NEXT LEVEL, WHAT WOULD IT BE?

RH: The only thing I can think of is an education and space. Taking the academic rout as an artist can help accelerate your career, and space I think is an important commodity for an artist. My ideal space would be one where I work in the back and hang work in the front.

KH: Like $50,000. I'm not joking. :)

HOW DO YOU ENCOURAGE EACH OTHER IN YOUR INDIVIDUAL CREATIVE EXPRESSIONS?

RH: I think our encouragement is shown by being hands on when helping each other. Kelsey helps me with sales and time management.

KH: Our businesses are similar, but also very different. We offer each other the best advice we can, but usually just let the other explore their ideas & let them find out for themselves if it was a good idea. Having Riley's unbiased opinion is very helpful.

WHERE ARE YOU CURRENTLY SELLING/SHOWCASING YOUR WORK?

RH: I’ve recently signed with Fort Works Art based in Fort Worth, TX. I currently have a solo exhibit up until May 28th titled “The People I’ve Come To Know”

KH: www.bibsand.co, IG: @bibsandco

WHAT'S THE NEXT BIG PROJECT ON THE HORIZON THAT READERS CAN EXPECTING TO SEE FROM THE HOLLOWAY'S?

RH: I’ve have an exciting exhibit this November or December and a solo exhibit next year.

KH: I'm working on a new collection. It will be different, consisting of mostly solid fabrics. I'm excited to see how well it does. No set release date yet, but I'm aiming for the beginning of May.