Amy and Elisha Kingsley

The education of the Kingsley sisters didn’t end when they reached their road-tripping destinations. They were homeschooled, which included many museum visits, the opportunity to explore nature in the wild, and the chance to experience history firsthand. Art entered their lives at a young age, largely because the Kingsley twins discovered they were dyslexic. Reading and writing were challenging, but drawing and painting became a way to express themselves creatively and emotionally.

While the twins collaborate on their art today, as kids they began creating artwork individually before quickly realizing that they were far more creative as a combo. They realized that by producing pieces together, their art goes far beyond what either could imagine on their own.

After graduating high school, they decided to take a leap of faith and leave Florida to chase their dreams in New York City. Thankfully, both Kingsley twins got accepted into their dream school, the Fashion Institute of Technology. The transition for them was tough—many sleepless nights to develop skills and to adapt to high expectations—but that experience and graduating FIT with honors at a ceremony held at Rockefeller Center, has shaped them as adults and as artists. They were pushed way beyond their comfort zones and that helped to refine the artistic style of the Kingsleys.

With an intense passion for fashion, and after designing and hand-embroidering crystals onto a jacket, they found themselves with leftover gems and crystals. This is when inspiration struck. Elisha was finishing one particular painting but couldn’t shake the feeling that something was missing. That’s when the twins decided to incorporate gems into their canvases, leading them to discover their signature mixed-media approach to making fine art. Merging fashion and fine art authentically and purposefully is the creative blend that has become the foundation of the Kingsley style coveted by collectors today.

The artwork of Amy and Elisha Kingsley has evolved by leaps and bounds over the past few years, thanks in no small measure to mentors who have shaped and inspired them, including Park West favorite Stephen Fishwick who has taught them to embrace their uniqueness, showing them that dyslexia and ADHD are not limitations but superpowers.

When not painting as a duo act, the cat-loving twins are still passionate about travel. Amy and Elisha Kingsley are tapping into their childhood roots by going back on the road and experiencing the country. Though this time around, time they have suitcases full of canvases and materials to keep making art inspired by the constantly changing scenery of a creative life lived on the highways and byways of the vast country.

Accomplishments


The Kingsley twins have had the privilege of working as a gallerist for several renowned artists, including Noah Fine Art, the Thomas Kinkade Gallery, Joseph Yakovetic, and at the Disney Art Festival, an extraordinary event that brings together artists from around the world, each showcasing their unique styles and mediums.