Skelley Queen’s Garden Trip
Skelley Queen is an Oklahoma based mixed media artist who combines several different mediums to create wonderfully articulated pieces that draws in viewers into her magical mind. Whether she’s painting, drawing, crocheting, or sculpting, Skelley Queen brings a child’s sense of joy to the adult themes she explores.
Skelley Queen’s exhibition “Garden Trip” was something out of an Alice in Wonderland themed universe, in which the little creatures of her imagination are sitting at a table having tea, or flying through the air with their colorful wings. Skelley Queen skillfully combines the usage of eye imagery throughout all her work, and created a wonderful, magical space for all to see. Almost as if the world is seeing her work through her own eyes.
Resonator’s Ivanna Wilson sat down with Skelley Queen to get a better understanding of what fuels her artistic vision. Here’s what she had to say about it.
Q: Skelley, what is your background?
A: I am from Oklahoma City! Really other than finding a lot of inspiration from local artists back in high school when I started taking art making a little more seriously, I don’t feel like Oklahoma influences my work too much necessarily. There’s been times where I’ve used our Thunder colors for some crochet projects! I do think entering into the Oklahoma art realm isn’t as intimidating as it could be like in much larger cities and their scenes. There are so many kind and welcoming local artists, shops, and venues that welcome artists in and I think that was really important when I was getting started on my artistic trek.
Q: I noticed throughout your work, there is a lot of use of color and fantastical imagery. What is your inspiration for this?
A: I find inspiration from other artists frequently, some of them being local artists and close friends of mine, others I follow on Instagram that do crochet work and others that use a lot of the same eyeball, floral, colorful imagery that I also do. Sometimes certain songs will kind of conjure up an image as I listen. I love the 90’s Lisa Frank style aesthetic and more recently I’ve been really attracted to this kind of spacey dreamy medieval aesthetic, which really found its way into this exhibition. I also find a lot of inspiration from the otherworldly immersive art at Factory Obscura. They have a tunnel of love in their experience that I’ve spent a good amount of time in that inspired me in this show.
Q: Your work contains a lot of mixed media, is there a reason for this or do you like the complexity of using multiple mediums?
A: I absolutely adore using mixed media. I’ve been into it for like a decade now! I love the way it brings variety to a work and can create layers and dimension. I will say, it does help make a piece more interesting when I use imagery I don’t feel incredibly skillful at executing. I love painting images of women’s faces and flowy hair, but I’m honestly not good at making faces more realistic so it goes very simplified and kind of abstract. Definitely something I want to improve on though! I do find creating art more interesting when I can use numerous materials on something. I can definitely get bored just using one medium for an entire project. I also seriously love adding jewels to things :,)
Q: Just by walking through your exhibition, I felt like I was transported to another world. What kind of art do you most identify with?
A: I most identify with art that is an otherworldly or a hyper whimsical version of existing things. I really am intrigued with larger than reality representations of things we are already familiar with. In my work, I want to take the viewer to another planet in a way, so art that also does that for me is really exciting. In college I learned about different crochet artists that really push what I ever thought crochet art could do. From that and places like Factory Obscura, I’ve become more and more interested in immersive, interactive art as well.
Q: Your work seems to contain a lot of imagery involving eyes and the body. What themes do you like to explore in your work?
A: I enjoy exploring themes about the body and use imagery of hands, eyes, and faces in a lot of pieces. Nature is another theme I like to incorporate in my work and I use a lot of flowers! Relationship to self, comfort, and playfulness are other themes I have fun exploring too.
Q: How did your exhibition at Resonator improve you as an artist, and what experiences did you take from it?
A: This exhibition gave me experience in arranging and hanging up pieces, which I haven’t had a whole lot of experience in. I had a wonderful opportunity at Resonator to really just go for it and do any kind of setup I wanted to do and having that freedom was really groovy. I had to consider the space and how I wanted the show to flow and also how to arrange the fake grass around the room. I also really loved watching people view my work and I haven’t had a ton of experience in that either, so seeing the reactions throughout the night was a lot of fun. I feel like I grew from this experience and reached a personal milestone!
Q: We all thoroughly enjoyed your presence at Resonator during the 2nd Friday Art walk. How would you describe your experience?
A: My experience at Resonator was, as I expected, fantastic! The wonderful folks that run it made the whole process so chill, efficient, and fun. I felt supported throughout everything and it was very smooth sailing. The venue is spacious and still cozy, which is a great combo to me! Also I have to mention the font that was used for the wall text is called Kelly Ann Gothic, which is so destiny and wild because my name is Kelley Ann and it just 100% fits the vibe of the show too. It blew my mind, haha. The opening of the show was sooo much fun and having friends and family there was so special too!
Q: Would you come back to Resonator and host another show? If so, why? I know we would love to have to you back!
A: I would heck yes host another show at Resonator! Everyone is so kind, chill, and incredibly helpful and supportive! I love the energy at this venue and would love to come back for another show sometime.
Q: Non-profit art spaces can be very helpful for the growing artist and people who want to get their name out there; do you feel this experience helped you in your future exhibitions?
A: Yes, I think this experience has helped me for future exhibitions! I feel more confident in myself and ability to assemble a solid looking show haha. I couldn’t have done it alone and I’m so thankful for all the help I received! I look forward to future exhibitions and am grateful to the folks at Resonator for this fantastic opportunity!
Skelley Queen’s Artist Bio:
My name is Kelley Queen and I am a multidisciplinary artist living in Norman, Oklahoma. Bright, bold color schemes, otherworldly environments, and plenty of eyeballs are commonly seen throughout my work. Crochet is one of my most used mediums and has been part of my life for over a decade. I love incorporating it into sculptural works, jewelry, and funky stuffed creatures. I seek to infuse whatever I do with a sense of playfulness and thoughtfulness.