Artist Bio

Kristopher Kanaly is an artist and muralist from Oklahoma City. With an extensive family history in the arts hailing back to his great grandfather’s Colonial Art Gallery established in 1919, Kanaly grew up in a family of artists, art collectors, art dealers, and graphic designers. This influence propelled him into a career of art and graphic design, with a heavy focus on street art in his early years.

Kristopher’s work has received popularity through multiple awards, publications, and books, and is regularly licensed by national retailers like Vans and Warby Parker. His artwork is regularly on exhibit with various regional galleries, as well as numerous outdoor murals and street art applications across the U.S. and Canada. In 2015, he was inducted into the Google Cultural Institute for his public art contributions to the state of Oklahoma. Kristopher founded the Oklahoma Mural Syndicate in 2017, a nonprofit dedicated to advocating, curating, and funding public art, and is the lead curator for the Plaza Walls mural project, Oklahoma City’s premier outdoor gallery.

Kristopher’s work can be classified as ultra-flat abstractions of landscapes with otherworldly themes, utilizing high contrasting colors and collaging together simple shapes to create worlds that appear to be digital and ready to step into.

His art is also featured in “The Birth of Icons,” a book published by Vans Inc., which included a run of custom-painted shoes for display in Vans retail locations throughout the U.S. In 2018, he was awarded “Artist of the Year” by the Paseo Arts District Association of Oklahoma City.

Piece Description

“I don’t do a lot of objects or photo-realistic renderings,” Kristopher says. “My stuff is pretty abstract, with lots of geometric shapes. Painting the AAA was fun, though. There’s lots of color — I think I ended up using 30 colors. I call this ‘Abstracted Regulator’ because it’s done in an abstract, cubist, impressionistic style. It’s all spray paint, no tape, no guides, just me and a can. It’s all hand-done, no stencils, nothing to hide the overspray.”