Press Releases
Patrick Sean Kelley Shows in SoHo N.Y.
Patrick Sean Kelley’s works, like the artist himself, are a
multi-faceted
phenomenon. Since a young age, Kelley showed extraordinary promise
in the arts, sweeping competitions and winning a scholarship to the Rochester Institute of Technology in New York. One look at Kelley’s elegant figures, strewn across surreal expressionist worlds of deconstructed perspective, and his outstanding record is accounted for. The works speak in broad, bold, richly defined terms. There is the female nude painted with masterfully defined chiaroscuro. Kelley works easily between sensibilities, creating a complexity that is hard to look away from. His images glorify and make sensuous the female form. He endows the female form with an aloofness and beauty. Their mystique is alluring. Their presentation is sublime. Kelley presents powerful human expression, precise detail, metaphoric environments, and figures that attract the eye. Having shown his work across the country, Kelley’s extensive career is marked by 20 years of successful shows across the East Coast.
-Agora Galleries
Patrick Kelley OPP Press:
By: Jen Vazquez
Henry Ward Beecher once said, “Every artist dips his brush in his own soul, and paints his own nature into his pictures.” Patrick Kelley would have to agree. Born in Rochester, New York, Kelley moved to Illinois less than a decade ago. Kelley was born an artist. His grandfather was an artist and an architect. His mother is an acrylic painter and his father was a businessman. His sister, Krista, followed more in their father’s footstep. His brother, Mark, took the creative path- he has a PhD in English. But Kelley says he “got both sides.”
Kelley lives in Orland Park with his wife, Marisa, and his two daughters Christina, 5, and Daniela, 8. Both Daniela and Christina are very creative. Daniela is much more intuitive about her paintings. She is also very intelligent; she is a member of the Illinois chapter of MENSA. Christina has a more learned perspective on her paintings- they both lover their father’s work. The colors appeal to them especially. Kelley’s wife, Marisa, is also creative by nature. She enjoys sewing. As a family, they travel a lot. The girls had passports before they were one.
He works as the Creative Director of Advertising for TMP Worldwide and paints in his free time. He admittedly does not have much free time these days. He only sleeps for three to four hours at a time in order to have time to spend with his girls, work and paint. He find oils to be the most conducive to work with, it is “organic to the canvas.” Though he has done some sculpture work- chiseling clay blocks. He has not done sculptures in a while; it is harder to sell sculptures than paintings.
He finds himself constantly inspired by the city of Chicago, citing the financial district as a very inspiring place to find models. “It’s kind of a weird statement, but it’s hard to find models.” Kelley said. In lieu of having live models, Kelley finds himself carrying a camera and sketch pad with him at all times to capture people in the moment. Painting for him is about feeling people more than seeing them; it is more about emotion; which is why his works tend to be very figurative. He attributes the fact that his paintings rarely show clothed people to his training and he finds that it is more innocent and refreshing that way. Kelley’s favorite place to show his work is in Soho in New York City. He has yet to show in Chicago.
Kelley also does charcoal work, which tends to be more realistic than his oil paintings. Where his oil paintings tend to be very figurative with a mosaic, stained glass type signature in the background, his charcoals are more grounded in reality and naturalistic. He has a showing of his figurative charcoal work in June in Cincinnati at the Dicere Gallery. Kelley is also working on a series of paintings right now called “Ghosts of the Windy City” with poet John Delgano. The series is focused on the homeless of Chicago.
Arnaud International presents: 2009
Patrick Sean Kelley presents a line of beauty in his work that is discernibly Patrick. Fluid lines that simply come to life on the canvas are convincingly bold yet elegantly placed, curved and balanced to show a uniquely soft side. "The faces of Chicago" series is an ongoing series Patrick has taken from the streets of Chicago and presented in a way that is uniquely his own. The faces are empty and longing as he says he remembers them, and also says is haunted by their stare. We look forward to more and more of his vision coming to life on canvas for us all to see and perhaps relate to.
Daniele Arnaud...
