Kev Gill Art

Kev Gill, Artist and architect

Playful, colorful paintings that capture the spark of life.

Meet Kev

Background

Kev , a native of Oakland, California, is a licensed architect with a B.A. in Architecture from U.C. Berkeley. He got his start in art as a child, filling up page after page with colorful cartoon characters (as evidenced by this guy he drew at around age 10).

Style

Background

Kev draws influence from a variety of sources: his travels, his training and education, and his love for the many cultures that make up the San Francisco Bay Area. He is particularly drawn to bright, joyful colors and complex patterns, which may or may not be reflected in his pieces.

When planning a new work, Kev draws inspiration from his own experiences interacting with art. “I like to see the work all at once, then in parts. And back and forth. Far away, up close. What’s the overall image? What are the elements? How do those elements work to make the image? Hopefully that experience—the back and forth, the in and out—is a bit hypnotic, almost like a dance, leading to a sense of calm, maybe even a brief sense of peace. If yes, then the artwork is doing what I want it to do.”

Process

Background

Process

Kev is a firm believer in the power of experimentation and play in the artistic process. His work often reflects his architectural background, both in the overall composition and the method of layering patterns and colors. He uses acrylics precisely because they do not blend easily, which allows him to build and articulate layers and patterns.