Kyra Watkins is a Cincinnati native, Portland based artist who began her art practice as a mural apprentice at the age of 15. Witnessing first hand how access and opportunity levels the playing field for young people, Kyra has been inspired to engage with the youth through art.
Youth empowerment has become such a large part of Kyra's practice that it has steeped into the subject of her personal work. You will find that Kyra's work is largely figurative with the main subject matter being of children. Kyra likes to think of her work as a reminder that all children are our children, and to show up for them means we must show up for our inner child first.
Since the start of Kyra's first apprenticeship, she has been in the public art space for 16 years. she now aspires to marry her love for public art and youth engagement by creating a youth public art program and helping her fellow artists get started in their public art career.
"My work is a reminder that it is our responsibility as good stewards to cultivate an environment that is not only feasible for the now but future generations to come. This is why the constant representation of children in my work is so important. We have a social contract embedded in our DNA to advance or at the very least sustain the livelihood of those to come. This advancement is a slow and layered process much like the process that happens in creating the work I create. I work primarily in two mediums: ball point pen and acrylic paint. Both mediums can be very slow depending on the execution of the process. For me I approach both mediums the same way. I focus on value over color. I execute my acrylic painting using a grisaille like method, and slowly building depth and form with thin layers. When drawing in pen, I stay consistent with the pressure of my pen through out the entire piece allowing the changes is layering to dictate how dark or light the values can be. I find the process in both of my mediums to be metaphor in the mission of my work. The key Idea is to create a strong fundamental base, While slowly building toward the future outcome you want." |
Media: Ink
Studio Number: 69
Address: 107 SE Washington St, Suite 253 Portland OR 97214
Community: SE Portland
Accessibility: Not Wheelchair accessible
Email: hernamewaskyra@gmail.com
Website: hernamewaskyra.com
Instagram: @hernamewaskyra
