BCPL

Press release

The Mahan Gallery is an art gallery located at the Boyle County Public Library. Throughout the year, various artists are featured in the gallery, highlighting their talents and making art accessible to everyone.

During the month of April, the artwork of Kris Steele will be on display in the gallery. Steele’s exhibit, “A Retrospective,” features oil paintings, primarily of landscapes of Arizona, Utah, Idaho and Kentucky.

The public is invited to an artist reception 4-5 p.m. Tuesday at the gallery. In addition to the reception, patrons can see the artist in action on Saturdays as she paints with watercolors on site.

Painting times will vary each weekend.  On April 13, Steele will be painting from 1 to 3 p.m.  in the gallery. Additional Live Art with Kris Steele sessions will be listed on the main calendar of the library’s website, BoylePubLib.org. All are invited to attend.

Steele was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico and was raised in Arizona. She has had a desire to be creative and has been drawing for as long as she can remember. At the age of fourteen she became an apprentice to French-American artist Paul Coze, who had a profound influence on the young artist. 

Steele found success as a scenic designer, and worked in the scenic industry in Phoenix as a designer and fabricator for over 20 years. She took on many private commissions throughout her career, and in 2008 created “Yakulla Caverns,” a water park spelunking experience for children at the Phoenix Zoo. 

In 2014, she left the scenic industry and the world of three dimensional branding and set design and relocated to Kentucky. She created Meditation Arts and has been concentrating primarily on her painting and sculpture.

The Mahan Gallery features the artwork of area artists. Artists interested in displaying their work in the gallery may contact Mary Girard at mgirard@boylepublib.org. The gallery is located just off the main floor of the Library in the Mahan House and is open to the public during regular library hours.