Kayla Griffin is an art student studying visual arts. She works primarily with oil on canvas. Kayla’s passion for art started at a young age but she did not begin pursuing it as a professional career until finishing her Master of Arts in Rhetorical Theory. She currently teaches Communication classes at Weber State University. Kayla currently holds an Associates of Fine Arts and is working towards a Bachelor of Fine Arts before pursuing her MFA. She has participated in two group exhibits since 2017 including a piece in show at Art at the Cove in Vancouver, Washington and a display at RAW Artists in Boise, Idaho. Currently Kayla is exploring her fears of death, dying, and controlling her mental health. She hopes to have a solo show eventually and own a gallery after completing her MFA.

Artist Statement
“The work I make often revolves around the ideas of confinement, mortality, and fear. I make art because it forces me to confront the aspects of my subconscious that I often force away or fight off. In a sense, my art is a way of addressing my own personal trauma while inviting others to experience my internal struggle to grasp the present and fleeting moments of life. Humans have a desire to connect with others and to be understood; my art is that offer for those who may be experiencing the same fears/pain/trauma that I am. I find it extremely important to reveal the darker and more morbid aspects of human fear because we don’t discuss and internalize mortality, death, confinement, or mental health enough and that silence is a major hindrance in our ability to be understood and experience the present and the world around us. As I work through my pieces I aim to evoke a desire to think about one’s own fears and traumas that may be preventing them from enjoying the ephemeral gift of existing as one’s true self.”