Meet Kayla Lance | Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kayla Lance and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kayla, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I had sort of a revelatory moment one morning when I woke up from a dream..
almost like I felt like I was called to it. Like I had an assignment and realized I was supposed to be painting. That day I painted an image I had just in my brain which was a portrait of a woman I haven’t even titled yet, using house paint and tubes of children’s acrylic paint. That sort of scratched an itch on my brain and I was suddenly alive to a new wave creativity.
Ever since that morning my purpose in painting has intensified and shortly after sharing on social media I had my first commission. A piece I titled “hold your horses”

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I’m in an exciting time in my painting journey because I’m just beginning to discern/uncover my voice in the art world. I’m still in the discovery part but without a massive rush or pressure yet to be fully fleshed out. This early part is about my building out a body of work, and letting it speak to me. Hopefully those slivers of myself that I express in my work are compelling enough for an audience to build a hunger for more, but even if that doesn’t happen right away I am driven to express and to thrust myself into this like I never have felt before. I feel so much satisfaction when I’m in the space where I have a creative pursuit I’m after. I’ve dabbled in other things professionally that are also important to my story and act like a connective tissue to this lane of my career. I also love fashion & I’ve done a bit of modeling, and I have music I’ve released with my husband. Having my tentacles in those fields is cool because I get to hop in those pools and it feels energizing as a whole to have a creative buzz flowing in different ways. I think for a creative person you need to be always creating or your mental state suffers. This painting era for me is wildly life giving- it’s like a deep exhale, and getting to this point is not something I believe I could have mustered up just by having skill, I think it’s a spiritual journey, and I’m going with my peace as I press into it.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
LA is so remarkable. I have such an affection for it. Living here with my sweet family of 5, we try to spread ourselves out in the city to enjoy all it has to offer but it’s wonderful that even in the 4 years we’ve been here there’s still so much to discover and play. I love the vibe and feeling in the Los Feliz area- coffee at Maru is still my favorite. Locally I’m in the Larchmont area most days of the week because that’s our home base. It’s honestly a solid spot for brunch, great place to meet a friend, the neighborhood is so walkable. The bacon and eggs at Clark’s street are always it, go get em Tiger has a really great burrito, hopping over to the newsstand for a cool indie mag, gelato at Bacio di Latte. Spreading out a bit further I love a flea market on a Saturday. I usually go to the Loz Feliz one because it feels the most casual. The best cookie is Fleurs et Sel in west Adam’s hands down. The best pizza is pizzeria Sei. If a friend is visiting and you center the week around food- the rest of the visit fills out so easily. LA is the most beautiful, diverse place. The Malibu waves are the most stunning but a little wild and cold, a drive through the hills, the view from the Griffith observatory is gorg. There’s so much beauty and so much to inspire here.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I can’t thank my husband Shane Lance enough for his support in my journey. He is as invested and as interested as I am in my dreams, in the joy and labor of their birth, and in my fulfillment of those dreams.

Instagram: kaylajlance

Image Credits
Madeline Pendleton, Erik Pendleton, James Ricker