Artist Biography
Kylee Schadegg is a ceramic and printmaking artist based in Grand Junction, Colorado. She recently earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree with an emphasis in Ceramics from Colorado Mesa University. During her undergraduate studies, Kylee worked as a children’s science educator at a local museum, where she taught environmental sciences and nurtured her passion for forestry, conservation, and social connection.
This intersection between education and art deeply informs her creative practice. Her work centers on the quiet resilience of trees and other botanicals, using slow, deliberate processes to reflect the overlooked beauty in the natural world. Rather than leaning into critique, Kylee creates as an act of care for people, for nature, and for the shared experience of noticing.
Her work was recently featured in Liminal, a group BFA exhibition, and in the Colorado Mesa University Annual Juried Student Art Show. She served as vice president of the CMU Clay Club for two years and was invited as a visiting demo artist at the San Juan Potters Guild in 2025. Through both community engagement and material exploration, Kylee continues to develop an art practice rooted in environmental stewardship, craft, and connection.
Artist Statement
In the delicate dance between humanity and nature, my work explores our interconnected relationship with the natural world, examining the mindful practice of using clay— a medium rooted in nature—to create functional art. My connection with trees fostered through childhood experiences of climbing and playing among them, has profoundly shaped my artistic practice. Trees serve not only as symbols of personal memory but also as vital components of our ecosystem, essential to the survival and well-being of all living things. This enduring relationship with trees informs my work, reflecting both a deep admiration for the natural world and a call to cherish it.
My work unfolds through the careful carving of intricate tree motifs, a slow and deliberate act of seeing what often goes unnoticed. This practice is both an art and a science of observation, attuning to the subtle textures, patterns, and rhythms that trees quietly hold. Through this attentive process, the work honors the layered resilience and delicate strength of trees, inviting a deeper connection to their presence. Rather than speaking through critique, the work becomes a gentle celebration of creation itself—a hopeful call to notice, to care, and to cherish the living world’s quiet wonders.