"In my work as an artist, most of the time I don't have the faintest idea what's going to happen. I sit down & feel the world around me & in me. I become enchanted, in the best sense of the word - I am filled with delight. I listen to the voices of my heart. I draw a line. I draw another line. I remember the time I won a whole bag of marbles from my next door neighbor. I remember going to the beach with all my cousins. I draw more lines. I remember more things. I keep putting down lines. Every line is a whisper of memory, of my life at that moment.

People ask me how I come up with the stuff I do. I tell them it's all right there when I listen..."

Brian Andreas changed his name to Kai Skye, though he continues to use both names in reference to the entirety of his work as an artist.

For nearly 30 years he's been known around the world for his lyrical work celebrating the strength, beauty & boundless possibility of the human spirit. He's authored nineteen books - filled with colorful drawings & short stories that, through the years, have accompanied so many of you through the quiet moments of living. 

Born in Iowa, raised in Chicago, Kai went to Luther College for a BA in Theater and English. Later on, after he figured out what he really wanted to do, he got an MFA in Fiber and Mixed Media from John F. Kennedy University in the Bay Area of California. From there he became an artist-entrepreneur, creating & running a company that would produce & distribute the art he made. Up until 2015, Kai was the sole artist & writer of work sold by StoryPeople*. He ran this company for 24 of those 25 years.

But now, he's headed in a new direction, with a whole new company: an eco-conscious studio where he continues to draw, design, & handcraft raw materials in his unique style. Working daily in the studio, side by side with his wife, Fia. Making beautiful things with their hands. Writing. Drawing. Painting. Woodworking. Inviting others to view stories in a whole new way.

Listening to what people can create in the world together. 

*After an acrimonious eight-year long divorce finalized in 2019, in an unprecedented & absurd ruling in the Iowa courts, Kai lost his old company & some of the copyrights of which he was sole author/artist prior to 2012 - effectively giving his ex and his old company permission to rewrite and do knock offs & digital reproductions of his work. Kai no longer has any relationship with StoryPeople or any say in what they produce, even though products may copy his style, include his art & older stories, or carry his name. 

Kai reserves use of his former name Brian Andreas & continues to create under his new legal name, Kai Skye. He now uses a unique personal signature so you know when you're working with & supporting the true, original maker & artist.