Materials: Acrylic on recycled paintings (artist made paper)
Artist Statement: It seems to me that the story of painting was always supposed to be about uncovering creative possibilities, freezing an artistic gesture, and finding an individual identity. These artworks awkwardly occupy that space between a romanticized, painterly experience of the world and the unromantic surroundings of the Midwest I grew up in. That landscape is characterized by utility, heavy-handed social and political messaging, and a restrained dialect. I am using the vocabulary of painting as I dissect its processes. By taking painted gestures and my surroundings out of their normal contexts, I hope to give both a fighting chance.
Artist Bio: Kevin Kelly earned his MFA in painting from Wichita State University in 2008. His artwork is held in many private collections across the United States and has been recognized through the Golden Artist Residency, the Mother’s Milk Artist Residency, the Harvester Arts Community Fellowship program, and the Oklahoma Visual Arts Commission. Kelly has been featured in group and solo exhibits in Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and New York for the last 15 years. His work has been featured in several publications, including New American Paintings, Studio Visit magazine, and the book Wichita Artists in Their Studios.