Rainbow Artistry: Bringing Rainbows Inside For More Than Four Decades

For Kylee Firlit, an Ouray-based illustrator and brand designer, art doesn’t end on the page. Through abstract, color-rich illustrations, she blends her creative career with outdoor recreation, connecting people to public lands across a variety of mediums.

You may recognize Firlit’s bold linework from the Ouray Perimeter Trail, Ridgeline Fitness in Grand Junction, Salt Lake Climbers Alliance and Moab Brewing collaboration, GoPro Mountain Games 2026, Wagner Skis, Western Uinta Hut System in Park City and more. Firlit works across pen, watercolor, digital illustration and, most recently, silversmithing, playfully depicting mountains, high deserts, animals and the natural world.

Photos courtesy of Kylee Firlit

She says her art began “as something along the lines of psychedelic surrealism,” with roots in abstract landscapes. Today, her work combines graphic design and fine art. She passionately works with brands, sharing their stories in the natural world. Most of the work you will find is crafted digitally using watercolor brushes, making it easy to send to clients for approval and print on anything: t-shirts, bottles, posters and even yoga mats.

CREATIVE INSPIRATION + PROCESS

Ouray’s easy access into both the high alpine and San Juan Mountains inspires Firlit’s creativity and content. Firlit spends her time outside trail running, mountain biking, skiing, climbing and hunting.

“I often say that I have the best ideas while I’m running,” Firlit says. “I am able to sort through my thoughts or entirely clear my head and let the creative ideas come through … I feel most connected to the world around me when I’m exploring in the mountains or when I’m recreating outdoors.”

When working with a brand, Firlit begins a project by diving headfirst into brand research. The inspiration typically takes flight here, compounded with the inspiring beauty of nature and wildlife. When working on her own art, her initial inspiration derives from something she sees. This could be on a run, spending time outside or a spontaneous creative spark she feels called to bring to life.

kyleefirlitcreative.com | @kyleefirlitcreative

Firlit finds a flow state when creating her signature bold linework and says adding color is the most exciting part of the process because this is where she sees the piece come together. She proudly shares that the projects in her portfolio are ones she finds joy working on.

Her art does not take away from the land’s natural beauty, but rather inspires accessibility. For example, the Ouray Perimeter Trail sign design is visible enough to keep people on trail, but subtle enough to not distract from the experience outdoors.

“Art is really just an expression of the things that help you find connection to life and the world around you,” Firlit says.

ART AS CONNECTION

Art has the power to bring people together, and Firlit’s work extends that connection into the mountains themselves.

“So much of human connection is happening on phones or on screens, so I think having connection that happens in outdoor spaces is especially important right now,” she emphasizes. “Art is always the thing that connects people. It’s the most basic human language and something that everyone can understand and relate to.”

PROTECTING WHAT INSPIRES

While interviewing Firlit, the Gold Mountain Fire was devastating Ouray and the Western Slope — the very same forests and terrain Firlit has spent countless minutes and miles exploring and translating into her work. As autumn approaches, she reflects on what this season’s landscape may look like during its annual color transformation, shedding and renewal. While wildfires can be a natural part of many forest ecosystems, that doesn't diminish their destruction or growing frequency.

“We’re so fortunate to live in a place surrounded by so much public land but that also means we all have a responsibility to protect it,” Firlit shares. “Sustainability has to show up in how we fund public land management, how we reduce our impact and how we make decisions that actually prioritize the health of these places and their ecosystems.”

In many ways, Firlit’s artwork is a celebration of the freedom, beauty and connection found on public lands. She hopes to inspire deeper conversations with the collective responsibility of caring for these landscapes. Firlit and her work pose a powerful question: What can rise from the ashes, both creatively and environmentally? 

Originally published in the fall 2026 issue of Spoke+Blossom.