Conversations with Kayley Quick

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kayley Quick.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I was born and raised in Phoenix – very north around 39th and Pinnacle Peak. North Phoenix wasn’t really developed when I grew up there, so I spent a lot of time in the desert with my friends. Traditional academics weren’t really my thing, which is ironic now because I teach at a public high school.

In elementary school, I used to get in trouble all of the time for drawing on my arms and clothes. I still did it just about everyday, but teachers back in the early 90’s were a little more conservative about the ways kids express creatively. I remember making up as many fonts as I could, typically in class when I was probably supposed to be doing something else. Not that I was a bad student in elementary, just that I couldn’t help but draw as much as I could. I always enjoyed art class and my art teacher, Ms. Frenza, thoroughly. I remember the first moment she held up one of my art pieces as an example to the class and that was the moment I felt that I could really do this.

I struggled in high school academically. I remember sitting and drawing most the time in class. My home life was difficult and art became my mediation. Although I couldn’t articulate this at the time, it taught me how to breathe slower and focus on my present work – instead of ruminating on whatever was going on. It became my ability to self-soothe.

Follow high school, I decided to attend NAU and pursue a degree in art education. Honestly, I had no idea what I was getting into, but my college experience helped mold and shape me developmentally. I really enjoyed college life and focusing on my passions.

In 2012 I started teaching. I currently teach graphic design and Flagstaff High School. However, I moonlight as a painter, muralist and graphic designer. I’m very fortunate in that I live a life of creativity and all of my jobs are creative jobs. I know not all artists are afforded that.

Art for me became a mechanism of self-soothing.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Definitely has not always been a smooth road. My childhood was filled with many traumatic events and I spent a lot of time alone. Even though the events were hard, it was a double edged sword – in that it gave me the ability to self-soothe, analyze my emotions and create, but it also lead to some pretty bad trauma habits that I’m dealing with today.

In 2015, I was diagnosed with a severe mental health issue after a stint of deep depression that left me wishing I didn’t exist. This was a pattern that often happened, but it took me awhile to realize that it wasn’t “normal”. When I was down, my art work was dark. When I was feeling better, my work was much lighter. I’ve been in treatment for 6 years and I can successfully say that I’m doing well for myself. I still have many quirks from my trauma and my mental health issue, but I’d say I making it out alright.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I have my hands in many pots artistically. I have a variety of styles and it depends on the project. Although graphic design and art share many elements, they are actually very different in their approaches.

If I’m left up to my own creative devises, I am predominantly a painter. I enjoy portraiture and wildlife pieces inspired by the area I live. I like to paint subjects that make me happy and personify any being a paint in an emotional way. I enjoy playing with acrylic paint, I find it much more freeing of a medium compared to others. I’ll often use sponges, slash paint and different tools just to get into the flow of creation. It often feels like a little dance and can be fun to let the natural movement of flowing paint and a brush/tools take control.

I’m most proud of the ways my work has evolved over the years. Even though I compulsively drew as a child, I don’t believe I was born with a natural ability to draw well. It’s just all I wanted to do, so I became good at it.

What’s next?
I haven’t spent a lot of recent time thinking and planning for the future. Once COVID hit, my routine and plans were so thrown out of wack that I haven’t necessarily recovered. For the near future, I’d like to accomplish finishing a lot of unfinished pieces that need some more love. Sometimes I’m very guilty of getting the rush of a new idea and then I have difficulty jumping back into the piece past that rush.

In the more distant future, I’d like to buy some land with my husband and create different little lodging and rooms for people to stay in. Each one being their own little artistic environment that is completely unique.

Contact Info:

• Email: info@artwithkayley.com
• Website: artwithkayley.com
• Instagram: @art.with.kayley
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ArtwithKayley
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/KayleyQuick

Image Credits
I took all the images.