Wild Hearts: Celebrating Women in Nature -By Liz
Featuring: Kelly Lanphier
This month we are featuring Kelly Lanphier, an Artist and Visionary from California. Kelly has woven together her passions for Permaculture, Art, Plants, and Marine Biology in every aspect of her life. She has an extensive background in regenerative farming including vegetable, cannabis, and flower farming and that has led to her current role at Mountain Organic Botanicals where she wears many hats!
First and foremost Kelly is a steward of planet Earth. Her mission is deeply rooted in hands-on healing of mismanaged ecosystems as well as providing resources through means of education and inspiration. The inspiration in Kellys artwork is drawn from an intimate connection with this beautiful place we all call home. The intention she has in creating art is to instill a reverence and re-membering between ourselves and Earth.
Elizabeth Keller: When did you first fall in love with/find great joy in Nature and what details stand out to you from those experiences?
Kelly Lanphier: Since my earliest childhood experiences, I’ve been passionately in love with nature and have seen myself as one of the same. Through intuitive exploration I learned about nature’s cycles, the role of each element, and how our own bodies mirror all of this.
EK: When did you begin to do your journey with Art and in what ways have you grown artistically since then?
KL: I have always been expressing in artistic ways throughout my life through my hands and heart. In high school, I began taking art classes where I learned more of a “skeleton” to build a solid foundation of skills I am able to carry with me today. However, I naturally started gravitating towards sea and space themed creations and thankfully my teacher at the time was in full support! So, most of my art “classes” in high school were really just my own experimentations and evolutions through trial and error. Since this, I also volunteered at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach and took a deep dive into one of my life long loves- marine biology. Flash forward to present day and I’m very much involved with regenerative gardening and farming. It seems with each new phase of my life and different ways that I work with Earth, my art directly reflects that.
EK: In what ways does Nature inspire you in your daily life and in your work?
KL: Nature inspires my daily life always and in all ways. From beauty that uplifts my soul and inspires me to create- to simply just sitting on untouched Earth and reconnecting with myself and everything surrounding. Some consistent themes I receive from communing with my local flora and fauna are the vital roles of patience, trust, community, resilience, authenticity (among many others) that create a healthy and balanced ecosystem.
EK: What wisdom would you like to share with those who are interested in connecting with art and nature?
KL: Be open and willing to unlearn everything in order to relearn. Treat your body as a sacred temple and always listen to your intuition- never outsource that. Tune into your inner child and find things that nurture this state of innocence and excitement. It is from this place of integrity with oneself that this connection to art and nature can flow more effortlessly.
Kellys art and values are a full circle reflection of what she sees in the world through nature and community. She encourages people to connect with the Earth through big and small ways such as volunteering at community gardens, visiting and supporting local farmers markets, sitting with nature in many different spaces, and really putting action to concerns over sustainability, climate change, and other issues that plague our society. In the future she hopes to continue the work that she has been doing and begin creating community gardens in impoverished areas to help children learn about sustainable gardening, and creating deeper connections to the land. Kelly also dreams of building educational centers all over the world for people to come together in fully immersive retreats where they learn gardening, permaculture, and indigenous practices of caring for the Earth. To follow along on her journey and to view her amazing art check out her instagram @kellylanphier and her beautiful website – galaxseaartworks.org
We will be featuring a different Woman each month in the Wild Hearts Series, be sure to come back for more inspiration!
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