ARTIST RESUME

Kyle in his Albuquerque, New Mexico Art Lab, 2018

Kyle O Street is a local Earthling artist and author who journeys amongst the stars as the space explorer Voyager and now makes his home amongst the vast cosmos. Painting and writing for over a decade, Kyle has been honing his style of retro-futuristic space art and tongue-in-cheek science fiction satire storytelling in his 'Is There Life on Mars?' novel series. Whether in otherworldly space landscapes or holographic meditative psychedelic portals, Kyle employs vivid fluorescent pigments and special ultraviolet lighting effects to add endless depth and dimension to his captivating art displays. When back on planet Earth, Kyle can often be found setting up large scale art installations at festivals and burns, designing custom mural commissions for his friends and favorite businesses, or in a live painting performance to music while wearing a full spacesuit.

Biography

Kyle in his Topanga, California studio, 2016

Kyle O Street is a multi-disciplined artist who specializes in using luminescent pigments to create images that transform appearance when cast in color changing light. His mixed media paintings incorporate vivid tones and abstract techniques with surreal space art, alien landscapes, and most recently include sacred geometry and psychedelic effects, that are guaranteed to transform any area they're displayed; whether as windows that offer a gentle view of another world or a portal that pulls the viewer through another dimension. Though raised near Washington D.C., when Kyle was old enough he escaped the capital of the Empire to the terraformed deserts of California where he draws inspiration from the southwest environment for his science fiction writing and photography, featured in his self-published book series, 'Is There Life on Mars?'

The son of a Potter who worked as an Art Teacher, and a Ballet Dancer who made his living as a Civil Engineer, Kyle is a second Generation Artisan and Performer. Growing up with an art studio in his home, and often seated in the back of his mother's classroom, Kyle has been making a mess with art supplies since before he can remember. He took an interest in sculpting, painting, illustration and animation at a particularly young age, becoming known as the artist in his class, creating his own worlds in comic strips and fashioning the figurines and terrain for the tabletop RPGs he played with his friends. Throughout high school he continued to take art classes and submitted a portfolio for AP board review, but for many years art took a back seat to his next great passion, acting and theater performance. When he graduated he was an accomplished stage actor with several local and national awards, and was headed for Southern California to act on screen and study film making.

While a career in acting may not have panned out, Kyle continued to study art techniques and practice painting on his own, often selling his original pieces to help subsist income. During his first years in southern California he taught himself screen printing, watercolor and acrylic painting and apprenticed under professional photographers at a portrait studio, which opened the door for him to work for several years as an amateur photographer, camera salesperson and photography instructor. When he could build his own small art studio he began taking commissions for large scale space art and science fiction scenes. In 2014 he started operating a pop-up art booth to sell his pieces at farmers markets, local fairs and music festivals, where he was introduced to fluorescent art and changing light effects. Kyle has since become a master of fluorescent paint and utilizing luminescent materials with colored light, teaching himself how to use stencils, airbrush, spray paint, paint markers and wall rollers. In 2017 became a full time artist, opening an Etsy store as an extension of his pop-up booth, The Martian Import Company, where he offers printed copies of his book series and original paintings.

Combining his two greatest passions, Kyle has most recently delved into the world of live art performance and mural art with appearances at a few festivals in the DC area. Beginning in summer of 2017 with Flow Jam Yoga and Music Festival in Bluemont, VA where he rolled out a 22 ft mural of the event landscape behind the mainstage. He was invited by Camp Contact to Burning Man 2017, bringing a 15 ft color-changing mural he created as backdrop for the DJ Booth at The Pinwheel dance floor and working to help head the signage team. He joined the organizers of Catharsis On The Mall as a member of the Art team, not only hand painting signage and the surface of the event's 20x10 ft live stage with a fluorescent solar system scene, but he was also given opportunity to live-paint during the vigil for healing held on the National Mall. Kyle is currently scheduling a tour of art performances for 2018 and hopes you'll get to enjoy his work at music festival near you!

artist statement

Painting live as Voyager at Catharsis On The Mall 2017, Washington, D.C.

Art is one of the last frontiers of novelty; the few remaining places you can go to discover something new. Art can be a portal to a places you wouldn't normally find in your own world. I create art to transform an environment and offer viewers a playground for the senses; possibly even an opportunity to glimpse something they've never seen before. My art holds a space for your mind to interpret it's own meaning of abstract shapes and geometric patterns meant to change right before you're eyes. I'm currently working towards perfecting these effects as I create larger paintings and murals that feature psychedelia while mastering vivid pigments which react to colored light.

Throughout years of exposing myself to Ultraviolet and RGB lighting I've observed how different light hues cause pigments around me to react, either absorbing or reflecting each different shade. As a color changing light cycles through the rainbow the corresponding pigments will either become washed out or glow brighter than the light source. Fluorescent pigments, like in blacklight-reactive paints, have a unique ability to reflect 200-300% of the light than they absorb! When shone under invisible UV light they'll bounce back more energy than would normally reflect under light from the visible spectrum, glowing brilliantly and sometimes creating new colors all together. I've discovered when an RGB light cycles through the blue-violet tones, it also activates any blacklight pigments, and studied how this can be used to augment fluorescent displays.

Color generates an emotional response to the observer which can be used in a therapeutic and even healing manner. An environment bathed in colored light may be a medicinal space for those who experience it. Additionally, many philosophies believe focusing on a special symbol or geometric shape will provide energies to help heal or balance you. I choose to include various forms of sacred geometry, radiating mandalas, psychedelic designs and hallucinogenic imagery into my artwork as it gives one something active to focus upon that engages the viewer, but also in effort to promote these positive vibrations. Patterns and motifs which already appear to move on their own will shift in appearance when the available light changes and even come to life in certain altered mental states. Artwork with these simple suggestions of movement, color shifts and transformations is often enough a springboard for the human mind to leap from, filling in the gaps and creating it's own image of what's being observed.

I believe art can contain so much more dimension than a piece of canvas hanging on a wall. I create mine with the intention that it not only comes to life but raises the vibrations of whatever space it's displayed, whether that's through the use of sacred geometry, vividly colored lighting, and magical pigments which literally become excited by the energy within that light. My art is meant to be an immersive experience for the viewer where one might be able to choose to enter, become lost and stay for a while.