Changing to Kinzley

by Jody Godoy '05

Shelby used to be a Benning, now she’s a Kinzley. She will graduate from APU this December with an art major, and her senior art show, the culmination of her creative work, centers around the transformation she underwent when Changing to Kinzley.



Shelby was married to Gabe Kinzley in August 2001, and created the pieces in the show over the past year. “Each piece of art I chose to make was a time to process the event and reflect on my emotions that constantly swayed up and down throughout the experience,” she states in the description of her show at the entrance to the gallery.



The exhibit is comprised of eight pieces total, including six paintings with accompanying ceramic sculptures. Kinzley’s works include “Tahiti in a Bottle,” a large arrowhead jug that she transformed into a bank to save for her honeymoon. “The Morning After” and “Behind the Bungalow” are a few of her works on canvas, all of which are in frames designed by Shelby and constructed by Gabe. The centerpiece to the show is Kinzley’s beaded wedding dress, a project she undertook never having done beadwork before.



Kinzley's art show has a very peaceful atmosphere, reflecting her conclusions about marriage: “[It] was full of expectations, celebrations, excitement, joy, stress and disappointments,” she said. “Even though there was difficulty transitioning, it has only made me grow. I hope people who view the work will feel marriage is a great thing, an adventure, [and an] amazing part of my life.”



The newest Kinzley - Jackson Gabe – is on his way. Shelby plans to focus on motherhood for a while and isn’t certain what form her artistic pursuits will take in the future. She says having a baby will “definitely inspire me in new and different ways I haven’t been inspired before.”