We recently connected with Kayla Wyszynski Ridley and have shared our conversation below.
Kayla, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?
The pandemic brought many challenges and abrupt changes to all of our lives. For me, and my art career, it came at a time where I was blessed to work on a long project that thrived during isolation. I was tasked with the job of delving into the history of my hometown and illustrating highlights that would celebrate its 150th anniversary, aka its sesquicentennial. I spent hours scrolling through photographs on the electronic database of the local historical association, reading books and articles focused on our rich past, and then sorting them into various categories to be illustrated. I spent close to two years on the project from start to finish. The result was a series of mixed media paintings scanned and converted into panels that now serve as a walking trail at Stanley Johnston Park in South Haven. Though not technically a mural, this project opened my eyes to other creative avenues I could take to produce public art. I was also blown away by the amount of support and encouragement I received from the City, the Visitor’s Bureau, The Historical Association, and the entire Sesquicentennial Committee in South Haven. It would not have been such a success without the help of so many and is a true representation of collaboration in community.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
My first major commission after college was a mural welcoming visitors to my hometown. It was a trying project and the largest scale art piece I had created at that time. Once completed, mural opportunities continued to come my way, and in doing so, I gained a true love for creating public art. Murals as my forte, I have also created public art in the means of walking trails, theatre sets, bicycle racks, and sidewalk chalk drawings. I feel that what truly makes art come alive is the connection it brings people. I also create smaller scale paintings and drawings in my studio both in my personal work and through commission based pieces. Much of my work explores the relationships with people and their surroundings and the unique characteristics that define a person and a place. I’m a sucker for the details. Art-making gives us the opportunity to immortalize a snapshot in time and to share those moments for years to come.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
With each mural I create, my personal resilience grows. Every project is different, and with it comes successes and challenges, often unprecedented. I’ve faced weather constraints, construction pitfalls, tight deadlines, indecisive clients, indecisive group clients, equipment pitfalls, inopportune surface textures, my fear of heights, angry wasps, and so much more – did I mention the weather? There’s no controlling Mother Nature. Basically, in order to not only survive, but to thrive in this business, you have to be willing to roll with the punches. I can honestly say there hasn’t been a single mural I haven’t come away stronger from and not having learnt something I hadn’t before. I am thankful for the challenges. Without them, I wouldn’t have a chance to grow.
Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?
Though I feel I knew this from the start, I don’t feel like I fully appreciated and understood the importance of an artistic community until after I graduated from college. Throughout my years as a student from grade school to the collegiate level, I never had a problem with pushing myself and working towards improving my craft. But what I wish I would have put more energy into was maintaining an active artist community outside of the studio. I cannot emphasize enough the benefits of being able to problem solve and discuss art with like minded people and also to have an outlet into the world through connections with others through art. I would have missed out on so many opportunities and fruitful insight if I didn’t work to share my art with others and to take part in other artists sharing their art and art making with me. 
Contact Info:
- Website: Kayskicreations.com
- Instagram: @kayskicreations
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KayskiCreations