We recently connected with Kyla Peterson and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Kyla, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

A commission that sticks out to me is one that not only challenged me but inspired my process and technique.

This individual brought me to their home, and we spent an evening chatting and getting to know each other. They took me through each room in the house, and we identified objects that spoke to us in terms of texture, color, composition, balance, scale…. Small details on a hand woven blanket, splashes of red on a backpack strap, and the bright green of a fern plant.

It was a fabulous excise to experience the human reaction to color and how a resident of their home can have such visceral reactions to objects.

We then abstracted those micro moments into a color and composition study to create a balance of neutrals and the vibrant hues they had selected.

The entire process felt emotional, personal, and meaningful. The project taught me that each time I do this exercise it will be different. The final product will be a diary of that person and everything they love.

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 identity as a designer goes a bit further with my interest and passion within the fine arts. I enjoy painting, drawing, and mixed media.
Painting on woods and canvases has been a joyful hobby that has transcending from my adolescence into my adult life. My career as an interior designer has inspired it even further. Color stories, texture overlaps, and intricate line work are all motifs that inspire me in my daily life as an interior designer. I take a step back and break some rules, allow for improvisation, and exercise my creative mind in a fresh perspective.

I create large scale, highly textural and richly toned pieces of art that create a story. Each work brings in the unique composition of memories, a collection of playful inspiration moments, and an overall feel that fits well within the context it’s placed. Staging and setting the scene is important to me, I want each work to feel conected to it’s surroundings, the people and the place.

Most of my works are commissions, and it is important to me that the collaborator brings their personal touch. The work of art is meant to be a reflection of the owner.

Moments that matter to me:

-the personal connection between color, texture and pattern
-storytelling through the use of color, texture, pattern
-storytelling through the composition of various mediums and color
-creating a story thorugh the use of unique compositions compiled of color, layers, texture, and pattern
-pulling elements to create a composition – memories, loved ones, and even mundane items

How did you build your audience on social media?

I felt connected to social media when I began to share and narrate my process more intimately.

In design school, you are taught that the process is just as integral as the final product. Allowing others to see how I begin the sketching process all the way to the final piece has been the best way for people to see how I like to create and where my ideas come from. The process evolves from things like a quick iPad sketch, a paint blob study, and/or taking my everyday experiences and abstracted them into simplified, tactile, color blocking studies.

I wouldn’t say that I have an “audience” but a small handful of friends, family, etc that have supported me as I create.

My advice or thought on being a presence online is to bring people through each step you take to create. It will challenge you to think how you get to the final product. It will also educate and inspire others to understand the thought that goes into abstract artwork.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

My goal is to continue to blend my passion for interiors with my lifelong love for fine art. My hope is to continue to learn and grow as a professional designer and carry that through with my artistic journey. Working with clients and owners of art has been a rewarding, challenging, humbling experience and I am eager to learn more on how to bring beauty, color, and richness into the world!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.kylapart.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kylap_art/
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/kyla-peterson-well-ap-63896aa5

Image Credits
Jessica Crandall