Lela Kay

"Intuition and instinct play the biggest role in my abstract paintings. Each painting is a spontaneous journey that begins with bursts of color and shapes, often without a preconceived idea or plan. I am curious to see what will emerge on my canvas—what is inside of me waiting to be expressed. My goal is to capture feelings and ideas that are free and uninhibited, and to create a dialogue with the viewer."

Lela Kay uses paint, shapes, and texture to create emotions on canvas—things that cannot be captured with words alone. Each painting is based on an intuitive decision that enables her to create something beyond the tangible—to draw the infinite out of the finite. Her paintings are a journey into the subconscious and the unknown, ideas waiting to be expressed with color, shapes and composition.

Kay paints alla prima, directly on the canvas, using primarily oil paint and oil sticks. She uses many different tools to achieve desired effects, including brushes, trowels, and rollers. She begins by laying down the compositional framework and then develops the painting.

Lela Kay is a lifelong artist who began by painting representational work, and now works abstractly. She studied at the Art Students League of Denver with abstract artist Dale Chisman. She has also taken workshops with Richardo Mazal and classes with Amy Metier.