Kelly Tunstall
Artist Products
Artist Interview
- Where are you from?
portland, oregon
- Where do you live, how long?san francisco, 7 years
- How did you start making art?just always did. my mother thought my younger sister was strange because she didn't draw at all!
- School or self taught?a good semblance of both. i went to cca for graphic design, but took a good smattering of painting and drawing while there. not only that but believe it or not, i had a super-awesome high school teacher (byron darr) in the public school system that taught me more than college ever did.
- Processes, ideas, or things that make you creative?i am definitely coffee-fueled, i love a good outfit, and archaic processes like letterpress, lace making, writing with dip pens, and long lost crafts like making flowers out of hair. i like the stories in my work to come out an a very subconscious way, so i let the pieces happen layer by layer. my current references include: japanese kimono, masonic art, northwest indian carvings, and tibetan buddhist relics.
- Who are your favorite artists?remedios varo, bosch, chris cobb, eduardo recife, viktor & rolf, alexander mcqueen, and john galliano.
- Favorite food?sushi.
- Music you can't live without?rolling stones, the pixies.
- Any hobbies?driving, traveling, surfing the web, and making messes.
- Shoe Size?8.5 or 38
- Tight pants or baggy pants?depends on the day.
- Anything else, jokes, shout outs?secrets. can't tell.
hearts and stars under the night sky, kt
Biography
The strength and assurance of femininity, in both a sarcastic and reverent sense, are the driving force behind Kelly Tunstall’s body of work. In her studied portraits, Tunstall renders stylized, leggy, female figures, and their pets, prey, powers and whims in acrylic and ink on panel.
Also working in illustration, installation, and multimedia projects - Tunstall plays with the contrast between the formality of opulent form and the revelation of method. The patina of age and calligraphic drawing methods lend a contemplative atmosphere to her colorful, story-filled worlds.
Common themes reflect the contrasting dualities of Tunstall’s imagined ladies: interior and exterior realms; innocence and mischief; concrete reality and the dreamscapes of the supernatural. The result is a comprehensive study of the modern and sometimes not so modern woman.
Kelly Tunstall (born 1979) received her BA from California College of Arts and Crafts, San Francisco. She has held solo exhibitions in San Francisco, Miami and London as well as group exhibitions in New York, Portland, Tokyo, Detroit, and Los Angeles. Tunstall has been featured in Anthem, Flux, Juxtapoz, Oyster, The San Francisco Examiner, The San Francisco Chronicle, and the Metro Times(cover). Tunstall’s first music video, “Everything is OK,” for band Halou, is set to be released this spring.
