Carylon Killebrew was born in Detroit Michigan in 1948. From there she moved to Nashville, Tennessee with her family. She received her artistic instruction from Middle State University and University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. She also studied at the Vermont Studio Center and the Glen Workshop in Santa Fe, NM.
After college, Killebrew left the art community for a time to raise a family and also to raise awareness of the need for physical fitness programs in Chattanooga. For her efforts in the latter, she received the Governor’s award for physical fitness. When Killebrew returned to the art scene, it was primarily as a printmaker, employing repeated patterns as her theme. She managed to produce a great number of artistic variations through light field applications of ink. Often she accentuated parts of the print by using oil sticks.
Due to the obvious size limitation in the field of printmaking, Killebrew turned to canvas where she could produce images with more daring. Like many colorists, her works include figurative studies as well as interior landscapes. Killebrew has a strong desire to make art that is honest: pure, simple, an unadorned expression of her spiritual belief that God created a beautiful existence. She wants to glorify his goodness through an art that is bold, unyielding, physical and ultimately fulfilling.
