About

ABOUT US ...

Karylyn Bliss and Kortney Johnson are owners and artists of Chikamu Arts (pronounced Chick-a-moo). Functional and artistic creations include handmade and wheel-thrown pottery that are hand-painted, wood-burned signs, paintings, drawings, crocheted "techie" towels, and more!

In 2013, this mother-daughter duo decided to share their artistic creations by starting a business together. Together, they researched options for naming their business, and Kortney came up with the idea to use the word “chikamu,” and Chikamu Arts was established.

NOTE: The word "chikamu" is a made-up word created by Kortney as a young child along with her cousin. They gave the name to ground squirrels scampering through the woods near a family cabin in the mountains near Oakley, Utah.

Chikamu Arts is a pop-up small business that participates in local community markets, holiday bazaars, and sells directly from their main studio located in Oakley, Utah.

Current logo created by Kortney Johnson

3rd logo created by Kortney Johnson (2016)

2nd logo drawn by Kortney Johnson (2014)

Chikamu Arts - 1st logo drawn by Kortney Johnson (2013)

Left-Right: Kortney Johnson, Karylyn Bliss (2025)

Left-Right: Karylyn Bliss, Kortney Johnson (2017)

Left-Right: Karylyn Bliss, Kortney Johnson (2015)

Left-Right: Karylyn Bliss, Kortney Johnson (2013)

Additional Family Artists

(2018) Jason Bliss (Karylyn's son)

Boundless-bliss PHOTOGRAPHY

(2023) Ellie Johnson (Kortney's daughter)

ART BY ELLIE

CHIKAMU ARTS GIVES BACK ...

From the inception of Chikamu Arts in 2013, we planned to give back to the community through various charitable donations, marketing, and business expansion:

In 2013, we sponsored a pediatric stroke victim with funds to assist with medical expenses.
In 2014, we sponsored a high school floral design student to attend the Utah Professional Floral Association Annual Convention.
From 2015 through 2024, we gave 10% of our annual profit to the Oakley Utah Chapter, Tough Enough To Wear Pink to support women in the Kamas Valley diagnosed with breast cancer.
In 2025, we built a satellite studio in Kortney's home (Layton, UT) so she and her daughters could create at home.
In 2026, we completely overhauled and upgraded our booth setup, rebranded with a new logo, secured consignment locations to sell our pottery, and added new wholesale clients to our roster of community businesses we support.

In December 2016 at the Park Silly Holiday Bazaar, Chikamu Arts featured a one-of-a-kind Christmas tree designed by Karylyn with heirloom ornaments handcrafted by her. This tree was featured in the Chikamu Art's booth and sold after the Bazaar, resulting in a donation of $1,000 to the Oakley Utah Chapter of Tough Enough To Wear Pink!

2016: Christmas tree designed by Karylyn Bliss, featuring heirloom ornaments made by Chikamu Arts.