BIO
Kelly Shpeley (she/they) is a Surrealist artist who currently resides in Nelson BC, and creates at Ymir Studio in Ymir BC, under the umbrella of Tiny Lights Music Festival. The Ymir Studio is shared with Kelly by their talented studiomates Hannah Rane, Samonte Cruz, and Bee Schroeder.
Kelly was fortunate to have grown up in the traditional territory of the K’ómoks, Sathloot, Sasitla, Leeksun, and Puntledge first nations, and to currently reside on the land where the territories of the Ktunaxa, Sinixt, Syilx, Secwepemc, Metis, and Dene overlap. Very beautiful places.
Born to an inventor/musician father, and psychologist mother, Kelly grew up in the rainforest of Vancouver island, in a curious and explorative environment, where chemistry and physics were the playground, and experiments were encouraged.
Kelly is known for painting surrealist imagery and dreamscapes in acrylic and oil, and building surreal installation environments. The core subject matter is dreams, visions, and liminal spaces. Often Kelly’s work has been described as ‘trippy”. Kelly also has worked in theatre, film and television as a set painter and FX painter/builder/prop builder. Working on productions ranging from Deadpool to Trueblood and many others, these experiences helped to inform some of Kelly’s painting and installation techniques, and provided an understanding of a wide range of materials.
Kelly is influenced by the works of Hieronymus Bosch, Rene Magritte, M.C.Escher, Jean Giroud, Leonora Carrington, Remedios Varo, Frida Kahlo, Jan Van Eyck, H.R. Giger, William Blake, and Artemisia Gentileschi.
Kelly is a self taught artist, and continues to be an avid learner.
One of Kelly’s local murals can be seen on the back of the Capitol Theatre in Nelson BC, and is part of the Nelson International Mural Festival, and also has completed one at the Charles Bailey Theatre in Trail BC. Future murals are in the works.
Kelly has been honored to be a part of the Tiny Lights volunteer crew and artist roster since 2018, and has shown work and installations there, and will be live painting there on the 30th of May.
You can find Kelly’s current work at the Ymir Studio in Ymir BC, Broken Hill in Nelson BC, and as of the 9th of June, the Proctor Schoolhouse Cafe.
Kelly’s philosophy is that artistic creativity is a muscle everyone possesses in some form, and the more people explore and strengthen that creative aspect of themselves, the brighter and more awake the world will be.
Murals:
“Rare Bird” Nelson International Mural Fest 2018
“Improvisational” Charles Bailey Theater, Trail BC 2024
"Serenity" ANKORS WEST, Nelson, BC 2021
Solo Shows:
“Arrow of Time” at Kootenay Gallery 2024
“Step Into My Stories” at Visac Gallery 2018
“Rainbow Kids” Capitol Theater 2018
“Rainbow Kids” Nelson Municipal LIbrary 2019
Group Exhibitions:
Craft Connection Group show 2009
“Robots and Monsters” Ayden Gallery, Group Show, Vancouver 2009 (commercial Gallery)
“Robots and Monsters” Ayden Gallery, Group Show, Vancouver 2012 (commercial Gallery)
“Robots and Monsters” Ayden Gallery, Group Show, Vancouver 2013 (commercial Gallery)
“Robots and Monsters” Ayden Gallery, Group Show Vancouver 2014 (commercial Gallery)
“Robots and Monsters” Ayden Gallery, Group Show 2015
Blue Night 2017
Touchstones Members show 2017
Tiny Lights 2017 Art installation
Kaslo Jazz art Installation 2017
Big Print Project Vancouver International Jazz Festival and TD Canada 2017
Oxygen Art Market 2017
Tiny Lights Music Festival, Arts Installation 2018
Kaslo Jazz Art installation 2018
Oxygen Art Market 2018
Kaslo Jazz Art installation 2019
Cultural Employment Volunteer:
Kootenay Co-op Radio Production 2001-2003
All Souls Night Vancouver 2014 & 2015
Castlegar Sculpture walk Adjudication committee honorarium 2019
Nelson International Mural Festival Adjudication committee 2019
Capitol Theater (James and the Giant Peach set) honorarium, 2019
Touch Stones A Mountain Biking Retrospective 2018
Nelson International Mural Festival 2018
Grants & Awards:
Residency at The Narrows Retreat, Sponsored by Wood Gundy 2017
Grant with Anchors / Outreach Mural 2018
Selected Media and Publications:
“Juxtapoz Arts and Culture Magazine” 2005
“Juxtapoz arts and Culture Magazine” New Years online art competition winner. January 2007
“Art of the Calgary Fan Art Expo” Hardcover Exclusive print, sponsored By CFA 2012 “Printwork Fashion Editorial” 2013
“A Calendar of Tales: January” Written by Neil Gaiman, Sponsored by Blackberry. 2018
“Bandwidth cover” 2018
Teaching:
UBC WKTEP Intensive: Creative Ideation techniques in pedagogy 2018
Oxygen Adult Arts Education Series: Idealand 2019
Selected Professional work:
Theater Film & Television
Alberta Theater Projects props and set dec. 2011-2012
White Monkey Studios props 2012-2017
Masters FX Studios props and FX 2014-2016
Amazing Ape Productions 2016-2018
Profession: Visual artist and movie props maker
Worked on numerous big budget movies and television series.
All under ACFC and IATSE.
Education:
1993 First year Mixed Media Art credited course, Advanced Placement Program, Princeton University (USA), via LV Rogers Secondary, Nelson BC, Canada.
Cheltenham School of Art (Audited) visual art classes, Cheltenham England UK.1995
