Kyndra Sweep
HH: Kyndra! Tell us a bit about who you are, where you grew up, and your background as an illustrator!
Kyndra Sweep: For sure! I grew up in a little farming town, Palmer, about an hour out of Anchorage, Alaska. My first job out of high school was working for a small art museum. While working with local artists, I fell in love with the culture and experimental process of physical and fine art. When given the chance to follow my now husband to California, I jumped at the chance to broaden my horizons.
While there I was given a job in a comic shop and took as many community art classes as I could get my hands on. I played with abstract expressions, ceramics, life drawing, sculpture and eventually a happy mixture of my favorite techniques. I loved ceramics but didn’t have the room or funds to continue at home. So I recreated to the best of my ability carving layers with both my digital and watercolor work.
Q: Where did your love for dragons and all matter of sky serpents originate?
A: Oh my mom did that. She’s always been a big fantasy reader and passed that passion on to me.
I was alone a lot of my childhood and with my adhd/ocd/anxiety brain, I consumed as many books and movies as I could get my hands on. Anything that could take me out of this world and into one of magic and adventures. I love stories and the creatures and characters of them. At one point, I had terrible nightmares about dinosaurs, for YEARS. I finally convinced myself that if dinosaurs came back, so would dragons (kid logic) and they would save me
Q: How has Appalachia as a place & culture impacted your creative process?
A: I mean the biggest way is the people. The second would be the Cryptids and folktales. At this point in time I think I’ve done three cryptid murals plus two more specific cryptid prints. The myths and stories here inspire me to no end. I can feel the energy as I walk out my front door. And then there’s the artist community, which has been just so accepting and encouraging. I truly would not be where I am without them.
Q: What are you currently working on and excited to create next?
A: So many things! Two of them being a calendar and a solo show at Harvest Records in Asheville NC in October. I’ll be debuting at least 5 new big paintings. Fingers crossed I finish them!
