Loretta Kyle was born in Hemmingford, Quebec and resides in Kelowna, British Columbia. She studied Biological Sciences, Laboratory and Research at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology in the 1980s. She has been sculpting stone since 1987 and has worked full time in her practice since 1997. Her work has been exhibited across Canada, including major exhibitions in Toronto and throughout Alberta, as well as internationally.

 

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Artist’s Statement

I am all about stone. Perhaps I envy its ability to be strong and brittle, hard and soft, abrasive and silky smooth, utilitarian and soulful, abundantly ordinary and exotically beautiful, oxidizingly dull, vibrantly colourful, sensual and cold.

I am happiest when I have stone in my hands. I am driven to seek it out, touch it, explore it, carve it. I believe that stone is as essential to our lives as water and air. Stone teaches patience, to think before acting or speaking. Its hardness slows me down, grounds me. Birds represent every human emotion from absolute revulsion to utter awe. I enjoy freeing them from blocks of stone.

As a medium, the beauty of each stone compels the viewer to look closer. The emotion of the form leads to self-exploration, which I believe to be the purpose of art. When my sculpture elicits a spontaneous reaction, I know I have used my life well.