Kelly Lyles

Life is a lot of fun, and I'd like the viewers to share that in my work. Growing up all over the world, I've found laughter is universal. After years in commercial art as a designer and illustrator, I'm now focused on painting as a full-time artist.
I have a number of series in all 3 media (watercolour, acrylic and oils). These include CANDYLAND, an installation - complete with props- with over 50 small portraits of sugary treats from all over the world, over a giant acrylic on canvas "rug"of the 1960's board-game from MILTON BRADLEY. Other groupings are my larger (12) oils and glitter 'THE 12 STEPS' (Drunks and Junkies in compromising but all too familiar scenarios), and these, my 'Rodent' paintings of animal themed Visual puns (SPAMSTER, BENSON & HEDGEHOGS, MICE-A-RONI, CAT-SUP, etc). The different styles and media, all are still all based on representational art steeped in classical training.
I love Portraiture, be it People, Pets, Porsches or Patios (I do everything from figurative work to animals to house portraits and portraits of friends' artcars). And that ties into my own 3-D/sculptural work, I'm heavily involved in the 'Artcar' community. Currently I drive the EXCESSORIES ODD-YSSEY, a Honda Van covered with women's f...

EDUCATION Raised in Europe, Scandinavia, Japan and U.S.. National Merit Scholar, Concours National de Francais Certificate of Merit. Attended Drake University (Des Moines, Iowa), Academy of Art College (San Francisco, California), Seattle Central Community College (degree in Graphic Design), School of Visual Concepts, The Academy of Realist Art, Seattle Academy of Fine Art, Gage (Seattle, Washington), and Artist's Trust EDGE.



SOLO EXHIBITIONS

2016 Theatre Schmeater, Seattle, WA
2015 Gallery One, Ellensburg, WA
2014 Cloud Gallery, Seattle, WA

2013 Burien City Hall, Burien, WA

2013 Sammamish City Hall, Sammamish, WA
2011 Vermillion Gallery, Seattle WA

2011 Wilson-Hughes Gallery, Roanoke, VA

2010 Twilight, Seattle, (solo & group shows)

2010 Arts West, Seattle, (1 & 2 person shows '99, '05)
2009 2Bells, Seattle, WA 

2007 Corridor Gallery, Toshiro Kaplan, Seattle, WA

2006 Laura Frost Gallery, Seattle, WA

2004 Gulassa and Co, (2 person show) Seattle WA

2004 Kent Arts Commission, Kent, WA

2000 Edmonds Arts Commision, Edmonds, WA

1999 A Miner Gallery, Seattle, WA

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2019 'Like Mother, Like Daughter' NSC Gallery, Seattle, WA
2019 Artcar Museum (multiple shows 2006-2019) Houston, TX
2019 Gristle Gallery, Brooklyn, NY (2016-2019)
2019 NW Designer Craftsmen, Schack, Everett, WA
2018 NW Designer Craftsmen, BC, Bellevue, WA
2018 Phylogeny Contemporary, Seattle, WA
2018 'Like Mother, Like Daughter', TAM, Tacoma, WA
2017 ArtTrumps, Bonfire, Seattle, WA
2017 BG Gallery, Bergamot Station, LA, CA
2017 'Like Mother, Like Daughter' ArtXchange, Seattle, WA
2016 Bom...