I've
always viewed the process of drawing as a means to an end,
rather than the end itself. However, drawing plays a major
role in my creative process and is of paramount importance.
It is the primary vehicle I use to get from the initial idea
to the finished painting. Drawing is an elusive term and
difficult to define, but its parameters encompass virtually
every stage in the development of my imagery. It is perhaps
more a mental than physical process, in that the act of drawing
is really a state of refining. These refinements occur incrementally
throughout various stages which initially include collage,
sketching in graphite and colored pencil, and then ultimately,
drawing with tape and cutting masks with an x-acto knife
when painting. From the preliminary sketches to the canvas,
every stage involves drawing, because the image is in a state
of flux until the final coat of varnish is applied.
For me, art should be made for strong eyes. Not some ethereal, contemplative
entity that begs or cajoles, but more akin to the sharpened end of a stick,
demanding one's immediate attention. A veritable assault of the senses, both
viscerally and cerebrally. It can be seductive, cynical, even humorous, but
always deadly serious in its intent and execution.
born: 1960, Covington, Kentucky
education
Art Academy of Cincinnati, BFA 1987 (magna cum laude)
selected awards/honors
Al Smith Artists Fellowship Award, Kentucky Arts Council, 2000
selected publications
New American Paintings, Volume 46, The Open Studios Press, (Cover),
2003
New American Paintings, Volume 28, The Open Studios Press, (Cover), 2000
selected solo or two-person exhibits
Stasis Quo, The Dayton Art Institute, Dayton, OH, 2005
Drawings by Kevin T. Kelly, Manifest Creative Research Gallery and Drawing
Center, Cincinnati, OH, 2005
Beyond the Pale, The Carnegie Arts Center, Covington, KY, 2004
Mr. Bad Example, Kidder-Smith Gallery, Boston, MA, 2003
selected
group shows
The New Collection, Trinity Gallery, Atlanta GA, 2003
67th National Midyear Show, The Butler Institute of American Art,Youngstown,
OH, 2003
Visions International, Art Center Waco, Waco, TX, 2002
About Face, Columbus College of Art and Design, Columbus, OH, 2000
