Artist Series - Kelsey Archbold

Alvies x Kelsey Archbold

Kelsey’s intimate feel of place is what drew us to her art, while her work with Coral and Kingsnakes made us fall in love (more on that, from her, below). Her oil paintings of the nature found around the Texas Hill Country explore the big questions of time, memory, life, and rebirth. Kelsey grew up in Alaska & England and has an impressive art pedigree. Her work has been exhibited at the H&R Block Artspace in KC, The Austin Art Garage, The Artpost, The Georgetown Art Center, and is permanently installed at the University of Colorado at Boulder. Here is what she had to say about the project:

“For my snake paintings, I like to pair the coral snake and kingsnake. Coral snakes are
venomous while kingsnakes are benign. The rhyme to tell the difference goes:
‘Red on black, venom lack. Red on yellow, kill a fellow.’ Sometimes a thing looks scary but is harmless. Other times something looks harmless but can hurt you. At these crossroads, a simple rhyme isn’t always handy for telling the difference between species of snakes; knowing the difference must be learned. I also depict the coral snakes and kingsnakes in my art because they are native to the Texas Hill Country. I am an advocate of the safe capture and release of snakes. I would like it very much if my art can alter the negative perception of snakes, even venomous ones, leading people to call a snake handler instead of reaching for the shovel.”

Kelsey Archbold, Austin, TX