Kailee Viator’s art is an amalgamation of her environment, art school training and inspiration from outside the area— resulting in works that are brooding, but with depth that promises salvation rather than a void. The young artist’s passion was first encouraged by her grandfather as well as acute observation of her environment. Death and its mundanity represented in road kill first stimulated her interest in exploring such themes in her work. A trip to Italy enlightened her with not only Renaissance elements such as panels and gold leaf, but also attention to the human form and shifted her focus from mortality to seeing life through death. Her work today continues to explore dichotomies, such as the use of the colors pink and blue, in breaking down previous understanding of societal norms. She also explores the symbolic aspects present in regional subjects, such as the goats and roosters, in order to bring attention to mankind’s tendency to assign meaning to the objects that make up everyday life. Viator has secured her place in the Southeast Texas art scene with her work shown regularly in juried and group shows at The Art Studio, Inc., the Beaumont Art League, the Dishman Art Museum and solo shows at TASI in February 2014 and at the Art Museum of Southeast Texas in April 2016. She has finished her studies in radiologic technology, which has provided her with a more in-depth knowledge of anatomy. She leads life-drawing sessions at The Art Studio, Inc. to cultivate a community of artists who are interested in honing their technical skills in representing the human form. The young artist works to keep a light flickering even in her darkest works, inviting the spectator to explore the spiritual in their sensory experiences of her art.
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