Kelly Irving : West Coast Metis Visual Artist

I work in a variety of media. Drawing is my constant companion. I also collage, paint, sculpt, photograph and frequently mix media.

I began my visual arts career as a street artist, initially with spray painted stencils. Painting, postering, progressing to videotaped/photographed street performances. Followed by gallery shows. Which led to university and an honours BFA in visual arts. University funneled me into photography and an introduction to early digital technologies. In 1999 I purchased my first digital camera. Digital photography/compositing and a small graphic design business kept me busy for the next decade. While staying in Vietnam in 2010 I began making shallow relief pieces, akin to shadow boxes or theatre set models. From 2011-19 I exhibited annually, producing a variety of shadow boxes, sculptural pieces, paintings and photo-based pieces.

With the advent of the pandemic in early 2020, and the loss of exhibitions, I began creating with material on hand and no particular objective. I returned to drawing and collaging as my primary media. My processes altered, my studio set-up adjusted. The photo printer went into a corner and the drafting table returned to prime position. Investigating my Métis heritage led me to beading, both as stand alone pieces and incorporated into mixed media works. Currently (2023) I'm  producing drawings and collages: a daily self portrait (pen/pencil), a nature journal, a language based concept generator series and a continual re-defining/focusing. All leading to something new...

Please contact me if you've questions, comments, seen typos or an invitation to participate!

This website includes:

• Works - arranged by medium. Rotating selection seasonally.
• Bio - a biography, C.V. and Artist Statement.
• Contact - how to and sometimes where.
• Network - weblinks to artists and institutions I admire.

I am a citizen of the Métis Nation of British Columbia. I acknowledge with gratitude the WSÁNÉC First Nation, for my location on beautiful S,DÁYES (Pender Island), located within their unceded territory.