L. Kelly Lyles
Painting / drawing / mixed media (2 dimensional)
Artist Statement
Kelly Lyles is an award-winning artist in Seattle. Life is a lot of fun (besides politics), Kelly wants viewers to share that. She's a number of styles/media, all based on representational art steeped in classical training, with humour as important as painstaking technique.
Her series include CANDYLAND (15' board-game, 50 paintings of candy), RODENTS (Spamster, Mice-A-Roni, Gherbil Teas), 12 STEPS (narratives of addiction), and CORONA QUEENS (tributes to female monarchs, with Corona Viruses in their Corona Crowns. There's pandemics in every era).
For sculptural/assemblage she's involved in the 'Artcar' community around America. Her LEOPARD BERNSTEIN (Jungle-cat "Zoobaru" of 700 lions, tigers, leopards, ears and tail) is in an Arizona museum. Kelly currently drives the EXCESSORIES ODD-YSSEY covered with women's fashion (shoes, purses, jewelry, and magnetic paperdoll).
She's led 5 International art-delegations, bringing art, culture and travel full circle in a life full of creativity.
Artist Bio
I've had an exciting life, growing up all over the world (thanks to a father in the International division of 3M). I continue to travel and have been in charge of 5 International art delegations, forging alliances in China, Eastern Europe, Cuba, and the last was to South Africa for the Cape Town Art Fair.
I'm also involved in the ARTCAR movement. We decorate and embellish (painting, sculpting and sometimes welding) our vehicles, so they are rolling canvases of the ultimate 'public art'. My Leopard Bernstein has been featured in film, TV, magazines, newspapers and books. Currently I drive the EXCESSORIES ODD-YSSEY, a Honda Van covered with women's fashion accessories (jewelry, purses, shoes, belts, sunglasses and more) and a magnetic paper-doll on the hood (with various interchangeable outfits from my own closet). We go on artcar caravans, traveling en masse (with frequent stops at outsider-art installations) to appear in parades and exhibits around the U.S.
My studio, home & artcars have been featured in numerous radio and TV shows, as well as magazine/newspaper articles and several books and films.
"Let the Good Times Roll!"