Figurative artist, Kel Taylor working in her art studio with colourful paintings on the wall behind her.

Artist Biography

Kel Taylor was born and raised on the unceded ancestral lands of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh peoples, also known as Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Kel subsequently lived, worked and studied in five Canadian provinces and the UK before settling in Kelowna on the unceded ancestral lands of the Okanagan Syilx Peoples.

Formal art training began with an Occupational Therapy degree then continued through a variety of coursework over the next four decades. Since 2016 she has focused on figurative acrylic and mixed media painting, has been a finalist in the 2025 Salt Spring National Art Prize, shown her work in two women shows both at Peachland Art Gallery and upcoming in Kelowna Community Theatre. Kel has also been part of group curated exhibitions with the Federation of Canadian Artists, Lake Country Art Gallery and Headbones Gallery.

A recent 2026 solo exhibition in the members gallery of The Alternator Gallery in Kelowna was Kel’s foray into performance art, activating her show “Dear Diary” six times over a 3 week run. She has recently also taken on the role of talk show host in “Live at the Alternator” where Kel invites a different local creative to take the stage with her. In January 2026 Kel enrolled as an unclassified fine arts student at UBCO to expand her art practice into multi-media, to include film, performance and sculpture. Never ever a dull moment for this artist as she continues to expand and explore new frontiers.

A woman walking barefoot on a beach with trees in the background, wearing a black dress and a black top.
A person in a kayak on a lake surrounded by mountains under a partly cloudy sky, in black and white.
A camping tent set up on a dirt ground in a forest with tall trees and dense foliage surrounding it.
A woman brushing a donkey in a barn-like setting.
Hiker with backpack and walking stick approaching two grazing horses on a grassy hillside.
A smiling elderly woman with a bandana in her hair on a beach with an island in the background.
Black and white photo of a person standing on rocks in front of a large medieval-style castle on a hill.
A smiling woman wearing sunglasses and a backpack standing on a rocky coastal trail with grass, overlooking the ocean in black and white.
A person sitting alone on a beach, writing or drawing in a notebook. A pair of trekking poles lie on the sand nearby.
A woman smiling on a beach with ocean waves in the background, wearing a headscarf, black and white photo.
A person walking on a beach with a walking stick passing by the word 'HELLO' written in the sand.
Person sitting on a rocky hillside with a backpack, drinking water from a bottle and looking at the ocean

Curriculum Vitae

Academic History

2005 Master of Arts - University of Western Ontario
1981 Bachelor of Science in Rehabilitation Medicine (Combined Occupational and Physical Therapy) - University of British Columbia

Artistic Training

2026 Digital Media at UBCO - Kelowna, BC
2023 Ongoing Mentorship with Lalitta Hamill  - Vancouver, BC
2022 Plein Air Landscape - Newlyn School of Art – Newlyn, UK 
2021 Find Your Joy: 10 week online course with Louise Fletcher 
2021 Mentorship with Nicole Sleeth - Victoria, BC
2019/2020 Portraiture in Oils - Clae Eastgate, Shrewsbury, UK
2019 Introduction to Oil Painting: Shrewsbury College of Art and Technology – Shrewsbury, UK 
2015 Acrylic Painting Coursework - Vancouver Island School of Art – Victoria, BC
2012 - 2017 Fundamentals and Advanced Drawing with Ken Campbell -  Victoria Art Gallery, Ken Campbell Kelowna Art Gallery
2003 Folk Art Rag Hooking coursework (New Brunswick)
1983 - 1999: Black and White analog photography and Darkroom development of negatives and printing; Folk art carving
1978 - 1981 Occupational Therapy coursework: weaving, pottery, copper tooling, lino cuts

Exhibitions

Upcoming:

2026 Beautiful Together- Two woman show at Kelowna Community Theatre - Kelowna, BC

Present and Past:

2026 Beautiful Together, Peachland Art Gallery - Peachland, BC

2026 LOGF, curated Headbones Gallery - Vernon, BC
2026 Horizons, curated Headbones Gallery - Vernon, BC
2025 Lighthouse Keeping, curated - Lake Country Art Gallery - Lake Country, BC
2025 Artist Residency - Alternator Centre for Contemporary Art – Kelowna, BC
2025 Closer to Fine juried Lake Country Art Gallery – Lake Country, BC
2025 Oasis Show - Canadian Federation Exhibition – Peachland, BC
2024 Under 500 Penticton Art Gallery – Penticton, BC
2024 Under 200 and Under 500 Juried Show - Lake Country Art Gallery – Lake Country, BC
2024 Ten Squared FCA Juried Show – Vancouver, BC
2024 Falling for Art – FCA Juried Show – Kamloops, BC
2024 Autumn Visuals FCA Juried show  - Kelowna, BC
2023 Open Studio Tour – Douglas Studio - Hornby Island, BC
2022 Aging Well - Penticton Arts Council – Penticton, BC
2017 Kelowna Art Gallery Members Show – Kelowna, BC
1999 “Who are We” - Owen Sound Public Art Gallery – Owen Sound, ON

Achievements

2025 Salt Spring National Art Prize Finalist
2024 Falling for Art - People's Choice Award 
2024 Second Place prize for “Justice for Annas” and People's Choice award in Federation of Canadian Artists Falling for Art show
2024 Honorable mention for “Orphans” in Federation of Canadian Artists Autumn Visuals show 
2024 Exhibiting Member with Federation of Canadian Artists
1999 First Place Photography award in a Lifeline Photo contest - International Year of Older Persons

Memberships

Alternator Centre for Contemporary Art
Federation of Canadian Artists, Exhibiting member
Peachland Community Arts
Lake Country Art Gallery