KELLY SPENCER - Connection back to our innate colourful nature

Kelly Spencer is a multidisciplinary visual artist from the lush lands of Aotearoa (New Zealand).

Kelly’s creative essence exuberates bold, bright, and zesty colour palettes along with authentic hand-crafted typography. Kelly's art is centered around, flora, fauna and all-around good vibes with even greater messages. Her work is often in service to create a platform to promote the conservation of our natural environment. 

Not only are Kelly's illustrations oozing with talent and play but they exist multidimensionally, within the realms of murals/street art, illustration (editorial, promotional, books), sign painting, apparel graphics, festival & gig branding, installation, identity design, and much much more. 

As an artist, Kelly has collaborated with clients such as Trade Me, Red Bull, Design Assembly, Boon Street Art, PangeaSeed Foundation, Ministry for Environment, Black Dog Brewery, Good Buzz, Rhythm & Vines, Department of Conservation, Creative HQ, Framingham Wines and more. 

as well as being a featured artist in street art festivals throughout the world, speaking at a handful of conferences for her talents and perspectives. In 2019, Kelly was the curator of the activation of Sea Walls bringing 20 fresh murals to the town of Gisborne from renowned international artists, Artists for Oceans Tairāwhiti NZ, 

What first drew me to Kelly's illustrations was the pure amount of vibrancy, joy and almost homage to the 60's/ 70's groovalicious era of kind messages of peace and love. 

Kelly loves a good cup of coffee the morning, connecting with the community, drinking chardonnay in the sunshine, the sound of tropical rain, scuba diving, and patting other people’s dogs so we thought she would be the perfect artist for our next feature interview! 

Here is what we found out about this creator:

From a young age have you always had a fascination with this colourful almost 70's style? What drew you to draw in this style? Was there someone who you grew up with that inspired you to draw? A mentor, teacher? Parents, grandparents, friends? Where did it all begin for you, did someone start off the journey?

I have been in love with the 60's and 70's vibe at least since I was a teenager. I used to say I was born into the wrong decade, and my mum would be mind-boggled by the retro floral items I'd haul from the op-shops. I can't pin-point why, it's just a part of me. Warmth, botanicals, a time with less electrical cables...

I noticed you have a strong focus on promoting the conservation of our natural environment, what inspired you to give voice to this issue through art, have you always been a big environmentalist from a young age? Do you think being in NZ and its laws to land conservation had inspired this also?

I was born this way. I grew up semi-rurally on an orchard, so I was always around animals and plants, but it's just a part of me. As I've grown older I've started digging into it more - the knowledge of interconnectedness and reciprocity with the rest of nature. The rest of the animals. 

Your portfolio includes murals/street art, illustration (editorial, promotional, books), sign painting, apparel graphics, festival & gig branding, installation, identity design and more, what’s your fav medium and why?

Murals are for sure my favourite. I love being outdoors, using big brushes, riding boom lifts in the sky, and interacting with the world.

Your typography skills are amazing. How did that talent come about? Have you always been good at writing and lettering or is that something you have dedicated a lot of time to? As a kid did you ever do those letter exercise books where you have to trace out different fonts? What inspired your curiosity around this?

I really was "that" kid. My report cards would praise my tidy hand writing (which was a good balance to other less-complementary attention based observations). My classmates would ask me to make title pages for them. I would spend so much time making the headers that I'd forget to add the content. I didn't really realize that type/lettering was an avenue to pursue til halfway through my career though.

I am not sure if you know of the famous illustrator Beatrice’s Potter, she used to talk to her illustrations and feel like each drawing was almost her friend, do you feel any unique connection with a certain one of your illustrations?

I talk to alot of things - animate and inanimate - it might be because of that interconnectedness I mentioned, or might be cos I have some screws loose. 

Were you the type of kid that enjoyed drawing for hours and imagining your own worlds in which your characters exist? Did you ever imagine you’d be doing this as a kid?

I mostly recall either drawing dancing girls with a range of cool outfits, or designs for houses. For this reason, I thought I'd be a fashion designer or architect. I studied the former, because the latter required too many extra years at Uni, before deciding that illustration was my jam.

What is your intention with your art?

To encourage humans to slow the f*ck down and learn to live in harmony with our natural environment.  

What is your favourite project you have worked on in the last 6 months or to date and why?(do you have a photo of it?)

I worked on a 47m collaborative mural with 5 other NZ female artists in the middle of this year which was pretty special because we were able to sink into harnessing our witch magic, working in sync on the design, and spending a week together painting, eating, and connecting. Good, deep, wahine ( woman) vibes. 

 Where did it all begin for you, did someone start this spark?

Drawing is something that came with the package, but the career choice started in 2008 on a boat, in the Caribbean, where I met a girl who was traveling and working as a freelance designer. A lightbulb moment happened when I decided I would do the same so I could build a creative career and still maintain the freedom to create my own schedule (or lack thereof) and to travel. I didn't have a grand plan, I just went with it, but I'm so grateful for where I am now.

What inspires you the most to create?

Travel, breathing space, adventure, and looking really closely at flowers.

What's been the most challenging part of being an artist for you?

No challenges that I feel have been exceptionally heavy. I would appreciate it if people would quit assuming that we (artists) do this as some kind of penniless glorified hobby, but I trust that general society will get there eventually.

If you could say one thing in regards to your art, art in general what would it be?

Without it, we collapse.

You can also support this incredibly ultra talented artist by following her artistry on Instagram @kell.sunshine or checking out her website here.

For more portfolios from Chulo Creatives Artist click through here, also get in touch with Chulo Creative if you are interested in commissioning an artist for your next campaign. 

Written and curated by Bella Abraham @Bella.bea.poetry