ABOUT Kayla Traxel

I make work that values process, presence, and material. My practice centers on handworked techniques like embroidery, watercolor, and layered textile applications, often embedding fragmented forms and found objects. I favor visible seams, raw textures, and soft, natural palettes that prioritize crafted over manufactured.

I’m interested in how imperfection builds character, emphasizing transformation as an essential part of creation. Beauty, for me, emerges not from flawlessness but from what is broken, repaired, and made anew. Wrinkles, threads, and uneven edges leave behind traces of labor that make each piece feel lived-in, grounded, and personal.

These works invite reflective engagement. Through negative space, delicate surfaces, and quiet composition, I create a sense of lightness and suspended stillness. Each piece holds the energy of a moment between. It makes room for memory, individuality, and connection.

Based in Kansas City, MO, my studio is located at Zhou B Art Center, Studio #314. Visit the contact page for inquiries.

A woman with long dark hair wearing a red collared button up dress, sitting at a desk with art supplies, smiling at the camera.

Listen up.

What do my paintings sound like?

Knowing that every viewer brings something different to a painting, I asked artist and playlist curator Drew Clausen to answer that question, specifically for my watercolor on sewn canvas works. The result is thoughtful, surprising, and perhaps more accurate than the playlist I would have made myself. It resembles the atmosphere I hope to aid to, one that is playfully imperfect, intimate, and idiosyncratic.

Yes, I have a blog

I reflect on my practice through writing as I create. I talk about art philosophy, art history, my own personal growth, and about specific pieces. You can access all these writings for free on my substack. If it resonates, feel free to subscribe.