Keely Reyes

Keely Reyes is a Bay Area-based graphic designer and illustrator with an emerging fine art practice. She runs a solo design consultancy by day and paints in between. Curious by nature, she is influenced by what she observes and sees in the world, particularly the California scenery. She loves plants and animals, especially cats, which feature prominently in her work. When she isn’t working she can be found curled up with a book, watching movies, or exploring the Bay-Area with her husband and two children. Her design and illustration work as been featured in Uppercase Magazine, For Print Only, Work/Life Vol. 3, and the Print Regional Design Annual 2015, and 2016.

At the height of the pandemic I began painting female figures in confined spaces with large flowing clothing and hair. I wanted to push the boundaries of the canvas, fit as much as I could into it, while also giving the figure space to move. This became a perfect metaphor for what I was experiencing in lockdown. How to be free and at peace with such confinement—both spiritually and physically?

In 2022 I began exploring new ways to fill the space with a series of portraits featuring big hair and botanicals. My series titled Blooming is all about opening up, growing, mindfulness, and seeking new things. Curious by nature, this series reflects my own journey of seeking which always opens me up to new growth. I’ve now extended this series as I explore new ways of pushing the work.