KELLY O'DELL

Seattle - USA - 1974

Throughout her career, Kelly O'Dell has explored themes of species extinction, preservation and mortality, inspired by her childhood on the island of Hawaii, a place of immense biological and cultural diversity. Her work, characterized by an aesthetic that is both fragile and resilient, uses glass in a variety of forms, including hot sculpture, screen printing and cold working.

Influenced by the beauty and vulnerability of nature, O'Dell creates works that question our impact on the environment and our relationship with the natural world. Her sculptures, often inspired by fossils and marine forms, are reminders of our collective responsibility to the planet.

Kelly O'Dell's creations transcend the realm of artistic observation. They act as silent manifestos, powerful pleas for the preservation of our environment. Through her art, Kelly O'Dell incites us to introspect on our connection with nature and the need to preserve its wild beauty.

Bio 

When she was a year old, in 1974, Kelly O'Dell's family moved from Seattle to the Big Island of Hawaii. Living in one of the world's most culturally and biologically diverse regions, Kelly grew up in an actively erupting volcanic paradise, struggling against a legacy of colonialism. During her childhood, steeped in endless summers, she swam with glass-bottomed boats and dived for coins thrown by tourists. Kelly's parents ran an art studio in Kealakekua-Kona, where they made a living from stained glass, blown glass and pressed flowers.

With interests in oceanography, astronomy and mathematics, Kelly chose glass as her major at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. The program offered her the opportunity to study and work at the Pilchuck Glass School in Stanwood, WA. She eventually settled there as a member of William Morris' winter team. Influenced by this talented team of artists and her island upbringing, O'Dell's work primarily examines species extinction, conservation and human impact on the natural world.

Kelly has taught glass at Pilchuck School, Pratt Fine Arts, Penland School of Craft, Niijima Glass Center (Japan), Royal Danish Academy (Bornholm) and Pittsburgh Glass Center. She recently returned to island life, residing on Lopez Island, WA, with her husband, glass artist Raven Skyriver, and their 13-year-old son, Wren.