Artists have known the perks and pain points of working from home long before the rest of the world caught on. Many of Dallas’ visual creatives, both up-and-coming and established, prefer the comfort and inspiration that comes from creating in a familiar place. But how that environment informs their work—and how their aesthetic, in turn, influences their living spaces—is wholly individual. We went inside the homes of six local artists, whose means of self-expression on and off the canvas give a revealing peek into their distinct personalities and points of view.
As a former designer and illustrator, painter Kyle Steed used to work predominantly in black-and-white schemes. “There was a time when I was afraid of color because it can emote so many different responses, and it feels like such a responsibility as a painter to know what you want to say and how you want to say it and with what color,” he says. But in his family’s current residence, a 1953 ranch-style home they moved into seven years ago, the space reflects more of his evolution as a painter: a coalescence of abstract and figurative patterns and forms, and a newfound sense of playfulness in balancing space with shape and color.
“I don’t want to live in an all black-and-white house,” he says. While it’s not an overwhelmingly large space, Steed says, each area is maximized through thoughtful function and design. “I’m notorious for rearranging,” he says, “and finding an arrangement that feels like it has a good flow of energy.”
