Kevin T. Kelly, born in 1960, graduated from the Art Academy of Cincinnati in 1987 with a B.F.A. in Sculpture. He moved to New York City in 1988, where he worked as a studio assistant to Tom Wesselmann for six years.

Kelly’s work is decidedly “Neo-Pop” or “Post-Pop”. Infused with a postmodern sensibility, contemporaneous subject matter, and executed in what the artist refers to as a “hyper-chromatic” palette, the paintings are not only redolent of contemporary issues and politics, but excel as studies in formal definition, composition and color. Allowing for open-ended lines of query and interpretation without the burdensome weight of didactic pretense, Kelly chooses to establish a dialogue with the viewer vis-à-vis the painted image rather than wag his finger sanctimoniously from an ivory tower like so much “Activist Art” does today. His work has been described as: “Roy Lichtenstein meets Dennis Hopper on Steroids.” It’s a wry, complex admixture of sardonic social commentary, the six o’clock news and the Sunday funnies.

He currently lives in Covington, Kentucky and works in the Greater Cincinnati area. His paintings have appeared on the cover of New American Paintings in 2000 and 2003 and are featured in numerous public and private collections both in the United States and abroad, including Breitling S.A., The Kinsey Institute and Procter and Gamble. In addition to having taught as an adjunct professor at The Art Academy of Cincinnati and the Baker-Hunt Foundation in Covington, KY, he has also written critical review for Cincinnati CityBeat, Dialogue magazine, New Art Examiner and the online art journal, AEQAI.

Questions:

1) What do you think and feel about your art?

For me, my art is the tangible manifestation of a personal, ongoing conversation with the universe. Its language is metaphor and occurs through insight, observation, introspection and inspiration. Perhaps the most palpable example of this dialogue can be found in what some people dismiss simply as “coincidence”. When a symbol suddenly appears out of nowhere to answer a nagging question or to create a deeper understanding, it means the symbol is yours because you resonate energetically with it. My goal as an artist, is to act as a conduit for that energy and pass it along to the viewer through my imagery.

Speak about your latest landscapes:

The new landscapes I’ve been creating are both a departure (visually) from and a deeper exploration (conceptually) of those I’ve painted in the past. Collectively titled “Archetypal Landscapes”, they represent my attempt at further paring down the complexities of the landscape to its purest and most concentrated form. My interest lies in capturing the magical quintessence of nature through an economy of line, color and form; to paint the landscape as lyrical poetry rather than prose.

2) What is your favorite art quote and why?

“In the universe, there are things that are known, and things that are unknown, and in between, there are doors.” — William Blake The role of the artist is, I believe, that of visionary and explorer. He willingly steps outside the security of societal norms, programming and conditioning in pursuit of what lies beyond the doors of an otherwise, illusory collective perception. In doing so, the world suddenly becomes a magical place filed with wonderment and childlike awe. The less the artist submits to the demands and dictates of his inner tyrant (the ego), the more capable he is of experiencing (if only for a fleeting moment) the ethereal realms.