Bright, bold Color, Van Gogh, Mexican Folkart….throw in some beads, fabric and found objects and you’ve got the art of Kelly Walston!

My art style can best be described as folkart/eclectic.  My paintings usually incorporate the vibrant colors and imagery of Mexican Folkart (from my travels to Oaxaca) combined with a Van Gogh-esque painting style (picked up from my college days at UCSD).  I love making the frame a dynamic part of the painting – by painting it to compliment or using coiled, dyed jute, or machine quilted borders.

My most recent works have been sculptural in nature.  The series is called ‘Garden Glimpses’. Each piece is a sculptural ‘glimpse’ at a garden using fabric, hand beaded flowers and tooling foil to create a free standing piece.  I’ve also created 3-D paintings by incorporating my beaded flowers onto the surface of a painting.

My work can be found in private collections across the country as well as the Taube Museum of Art in North Dakota.  My ‘Garden Glimpses’ have been on display at several fine art galleries in Scottsdale, AZ as well.  I do commission work and am also hoping to create a line of fabric and beaded flower bridal bouquets for environmentally conscious brides.

I live in the Santa Clarita Valley with my husband Tim, two daughters Emma and Abby and our two dogs.  I’ve been participating in group shows with the Santa Clarita Artist Association at Tesoro Adobe and The Tournament Players Club.
 

"Blue Beaded Flowers in a Vase"   in addition to my Garden Glimpse Series  I have also created single stems of fabric and beaded flowers for vases.
	"Quilted Sun" painting on unstretched canvas with machine pieced and quilted borders,  and hand quilting.
"Sunshine and Flowers"  3-dimensional painting on canvas using clay, fabric, and beaded flowers.  The frame is braided, hand dyed jute and beads.
	Detail from "Garden Glimpses – Copper Sunrise" (owned by a soft sculpture collector in NY) – the flower is hand beaded with fabric covered tooling foil.