Meet the Maker- Kayleigh Young
Today we share with you our interview with Kayleigh Young, abstract Artist, Mama, and client! We met via a mutual friend when seeking unique artwork for our City Retreat project and Kayleigh most definitely showed up with the goods. We chat to Kayleigh about where she honed her craft, what her creative process is and how you can get our hands on one of her pieces.
You’re clearly insanely creative, did you go to Art School?
I got really in to making art through my GCSE and A Level years, focusing on ceramics and mixed media painting; so after school I wanted to explore my creativity further with a foundation diploma in Art, Design and Media which I did at the Arts University, Bournemouth. After a year of creative exploration across many disciplines, I decided to study for a BSC in Design Management for Fashion Retailing at the University of Manchester. I loved the excitement of Marketing, and creating a brand from scratch. This led me to a 10 year career working as a Marketeer at Nike, until recently I decided that if there was ever a time to do exactly what I’d wanted to do since I was a teenager - it was now.
Is your artwork full time or do you work alongside creating?
At the moment I’m juggling painting and parenting! My work and home life are totally enmeshed. It can be chaotic (and it certainly takes a village) but I wouldn’t have it any differently...well maybe I'd have a studio that doesn’t double as a kitchen - but it’s early days and I’m grateful to be able to do what I’m doing.
What inspires your work? Do you have bursts of creative days and then quiet days like a ‘writers block’? Or do you paint when you can (based on looking after a toddler!).
Oh for sure writers - or creative block is a thing! I’ll have some days when I feel so up for it and can’t wait to create, and other days where I second guess and feel stifled by all the thoughts in my brain and get nothing done. I use scrap pieces of canvas to test or park ideas a lot, so even if I’m not feeling 100% I can at least be going through the process; and often those pieces become some of my favourite marks and colour combos. I take a lot of my inspiration from interiors - be that colours, textures, shapes I’ve seen on a cushion, a wall paper, a lamp - I like mixing organic shapes with more structural lines and vice versa. I think because I’ve always been a curious person I’m just having fun finding the possibilities with different mediums and not giving myself too many parameters at this stage.
How would making a commission work? Do people simply inform you the size of the canvas or can they be more specific?
Working on a commission starts with a conversation with the collector about the size of the piece they’d like, where it will live and whether they have any preferences on colour palette. Once that is all agreed I’ll build out the colour palette and include textural ideas with additional applications such as embroidery. I’ll keep the collector in the loop about timings and send WIP photos as I go, and I’m always open to feedback - after all, I want them to love it and be happy with the final outcome! Sending me a DM is the best way to get in touch about a commission request.
Do you envision your work as a set of ‘collections’ or has it organically developed and evolved?
I’m ideating for a series at the moment which will launch at some point this year. I’m giving myself time to explore the colours and textures alongside the commissions which are keeping me busy. I’m also exploring painting on lampshades, something I’m hopefully going to open up to commissions in the future as well. Organic development is what I strive for and I just want to keep testing new ideas and being out of my comfort zone. I think that’s when I create my best work.
What would be your dream commission? Have you got a goal or dream location where you would love to see you work displayed? Let’s manifest this!
Haha, I'm a super-fan of Open Door (Architectural Digest’s Youtube series) and I would find it so cool if I had a commission feature on an episode. I’d want to do a piece on a monumental scale and for it to live in a New York City brownstone. A girl can dream!
You’ll be hearing a lot more about Kayleigh, especially from us, because she also became one of our clients last year. The builders will soon be breaking ground (quite literally!) on her home renovation which we will be able to share more on soon.
In the meantime, if you wish to get in touch or make an enquiry you can send her a direct message via her Instagram kayleighyoung.studio
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