Artist Kayla Smith works full time as a campaign coordinator but gets up at 5:30 a.m. each day to paint, focusing primarily on nature, urban landscapes and portraits. Her original artwork is on display at the Redlands gallery for her featured art show from July 11 to Aug. 7.
“I always loved drawing,” Smith said. She bonded with her art teacher Mrs. Light at Arrowhead Christian Academy in high school. She graduated in 2022 with a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies from the University of Redlands. It wasn’t until a marine internship in Palau, east of the Philippines, during her senior year that Smith picked up a paintbrush again. The interns had to make a project about their appreciation for the trip. “So I painted little scenes of Palau and I was so rusty,” she said. That rustiness has since dissolved into skilled art.
At her first job out of college, she worked as an environmental consultant at the same company where Natalie Richards works. Richards is also an artist and art teacher at the Redlands Art Association. A seminar she taught on the history of pastels inspired Smith to begin taking pastel classes…