We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Kayley Jane Dykman. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Kayley Jane below.

Kayley Jane, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

The most meaningful project I’ve worked on is one that is still in the making.

During my final semester in my undergrad at Laguna College of Art + Design, I was finally beginning to find my own artistic voice. It was then that I realized that my passion and drive came from creating paintings that 1. Represented people who looked like me, my family, and my community (a demographic that is largely underrepresented in the media and especially fine art) 2. Shared the beautiful traditions and customs of the Pacific Islands and 3. Combined techniques from traditional portraiture/ figurative painting with innovative contemporary styles.

At the time I was exploring the process of superimposing highly-rendered, traditional portraits over flat, graphic, and vibrant textile patterns. To pay homage to Hawaiian traditional arts, I decided to incorporate a Hawaiian quilt with my figurative painting. To emphasize the quilt as an element in the painting, I chose to reverse my technique and fully render the fabric in the background while simultaneously flattening the patterns worn by the figure in the foreground. This unconventional approach created a unique tension in my piece that felt like I had created something entirely my own. Not an impression of another artist’s style or technique but uniquely mine.

On top of feeling like I had hit the creative jackpot, this painting, titled Kia’i Mana, was one of the first narrative pieces I created. Meaning not only was every element selected for an aesthetic purpose but to make a statement as well. With the model’s pose and his creating a literal barrier between the threshold created by the border, it appears as though he is protecting the quilt, symbolic of his culture, traditions, language, and mana. His gaze furthers this narrative as he directly confronts the viewer and makes them question their presence and authority within the picture. This is all meant for the viewer to extend this into their exploitation of Hawaiian peoples and land, and their ignorance or compliance with their struggle.

While this painting is complete, I am still in the process of completing the Kia’i series. In Hawaiian, kia’i means protector or guardian. This portrait depicts the guardian of mana, spiritual energy. Currently, I’m working on Kia’i Aloha, the guardian of love, and plan to execute the other pillars of Hawaiian culture, ‘ohana, family, and pono, harmony and righteousness, in the future. Overall this series feels extremely important for me to create as it not only shares important values and the spirit of Hawaii, but it also creates an opportunity to depict native people while shedding light on the contemporary issues they face.

Kayley Jane, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Kayley Jane Dykman and I am a traditional artist based out of Southern California. Art has always been a passion and outlet of mine since I can remember. I pursued art in college and graduated in 2023 with a BFA in Drawing and Painting and a minor in Art History from Laguna College of Art + Design where I am currently tutoring and soon to lead community classes. While I was trained in charcoal, watercolor, gouache, and even sculpture, my medium of choice is oil. Portraiture and figurative work is my forte but my appreciation for landscape and florals have made their way into my work. I love to play with both traditional techniques and contemporary aesthetics to create uniquely dimensional paintings. Growing up in a Polynesian community has greatly impacted my work and has led to my focus on creating authentic depictions of Pacific Islanders to share and celebrate this beautiful community. I am most proud of creating and developing my own artistic style while striving to create a space for this community in visual arts. If you appreciate the Polynesian culture and island style, love vibrant colors, or seek a calming viewing experience my work is for you. You can purchase my greeting cards, prints, paintings, or personalized commissions by email or contacting me through my website.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

I’ve had many instances where non-creatives haven’t understood my need to create meaningful and impactful work. They’ve told me ways to increase profits or recreate work that sells not realizing that this work isn’t any other job. It’s my passion, my legacy, and my responsibility to give back to this community that’s welcomed and nurtured me since my youth. I feel a sense of duty to authentically represent them, raise awareness for social and environmental issues, and make work that really matters. The moment it shifts from this perspective to one of formulaic replication and sales, I lose touch of myself and my work suffers for it.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

For me, the most rewarding part of being a creative is sharing my work with the public and fostering invaluable conversations with others. I love when people tell me how my work has made them consider another perspective, learn and experience something new, or even cultivating a passion to create themselves. Interacting with the community is simply amazing and fuels my creativity and having the opportunity to make a positive impact on someone is all I could hope for.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.kayleyjaneart.com
• Instagram: @kayleydykmanart

Image Credits

NA