Kellie Lehr

My last studio visit brought me to the heart of Kellie Lehr’s creative world. This time, the visit took place online; I’m currently based in London, while Kellie works from her studio in Connecticut, United States. We had a fascinating conversation about her artistic practice, exploring architecture, space, and how art interacts with its surroundings.

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Kellie spoke about Supports/Surfaces, one of the pioneering movements that challenged conventional exhibition spaces, and shared her admiration for the Hungarian artist Simon Hantaï, whose inventive folding techniques and lyrical abstractions continue to inspire her. She also offered insights into the U.S. art scene and the excitement of preparing for her forthcoming exhibition.

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Based in Connecticut, Lehr holds an MFA from Lesley University College of Art and Design in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and a BSBA from the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. She was selected for the 2023–25 Juried Registry of the National Museum of Women in the Arts and has attended residencies at Foundation House in Connecticut, Château d'Orquevaux in France, and Millay Arts Colony in New York. Her work has been exhibited nationally, with her first New York solo show at The Painting Center in 2024.

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For a closer look at Kellie’s practice, here’s a text I wrote previously that captures her approach to folding and materials:

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For artist Kellie Lehr, folding is more than a gesture; it is a way of thinking, making, and being. From DNA to skin, from mathematics to the simple act of tidying, folding reflects change, time, and organisation. In her latest series, Lehr explores the possibilities of raw canvas through folding: abstract paintings, soft sculptures, and soft books created with ink, charcoal, acrylic, and oil.

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Her process is slow, tactile, and ritualistic. Cotton canvas is folded, inked, washed, and dried in the sun, embracing mistakes, tension, and chance. Patterns emerge, disappear, and reform, suggesting the memory of time passing and the flux of space.

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Influenced by movements such as Supports/Surfaces, Neo-Concrete, Pattern and Decoration, Colour Field, and Feminist Performance Art, Lehr sees painting as both performance and ritual—an intimate collaboration between artist and material. Each fold, unfold, and refold opens new possibilities, proving that even the humblest of materials can contain infinite potential.