Spotlight on Kylie Millar
Meet Kylie Millar, the visionary behind Think-It-Over. Kylie specializes in encaustic wax, and describes her work as “messy, playful, and evolving”. Let’s delve more into her inspirations and creative process.
How did you get into creating? And, who or what were your influences?
“I’ve been creating since I was a child and luckily was given all the encouragement from my family to pursue it throughout my life. I can remember watching my mom make things with her friends and was always drawn to the different materials and tools they used.”
What continues to drive you?
“My inspiration lies in the textural quality of things, the landscape, and the way the colours play with each other in everyday life.”
What has been your greatest accomplishment in your creative career so far?
“My greatest accomplishment is that my students leave my classes with a renewed energy and a positive attitude about their artistic practice. I always advocate that no matter what your skill level you can be an artist and create beautiful things. You just have to find the perfect medium for you!”
Tell us about your process while creating these 6 new pieces for Think-It-Over. Was it challenging or did you find it easy? What did you face during this process?
“The six pieces for Think-It-Over were a challenge but more than that, it was inspiring. I work more abstractly these days and am still evolving my art practice to explore what my works say to an audience. This was a perfect opportunity to match paintings to words; ones that I did not choose, and therefore took more time to connect to.
Kylie’s favourite colour
I started by free writing my thoughts about these words and reflecting on them over a couple weeks to see if my opinions changed. Throughout the first few months of COVID-19, there were many moments of self-analysis and critical thinking about what truly matters. As I painted, I reflected on these writings and sometimes would strip the paint off and start over. It is normal for my work to go through many stages – if I still have the painting in my studio it will never be finished. Only when it moves to another home can I truly let it be.”
Describe 2020 in ONE word.
“Metamorphosis”
Think-It-Over is on until December 13, 2020. See our website for our opening hours.
If you can’t make it to see the art in person, check out this virtual tour.