MET Gallery - "Make Your Mark"

As a mixed media artist, I find joy in the playful and intuitive combination of colours, textures, and subject matter in my work. Whether it's the sweeping marks of abstraction or the intricate details of realism, I am enamored by the painterly process.

My artistic journey is marked by unexpected colour choices and high-contrast palettes, often infused with hints of metallic paint or leaf. Often guided by intuition, other times guided by a predetermined vision, each piece reflects a balance of spontaneity and deliberate expression.

In my studio, you'll often find my giant dog, whose playful nudges sometimes add their own unique marks to the canvas. Since my undergraduate days at Queen's University, I've preferred to paint on the floor, forgoing a traditional easel for a grounded approach. Whether indoors or out, my creative process knows no bounds.

Formally trained in oil painting, I switched to acrylics and mixed media (a little bit of everything!) about 10 years ago. Fluid art captivates me, with its mesmerizing interplay of colours poured onto canvas. This technique serves as a springboard for much of my work, filling each piece with a sense of movement and energy through painterly splatters and expressive lines.

Recently, I've delved into the realm of texture paste, exploring its properties to create rich, impasto-like surfaces using acrylic paints. Themes of flowers and animals keep popping up in my work, so I am embracing this until another subject begins to appear. This newfound passion adds depth and intrigue to my creations, further enriching the sensory experience of my art.

I hope you enjoy my display of creations – a few from my beginning foundational days and most from the last two years.

If you have any questions, please come find me in the Art Studio, or reach out at Kel@SoArtsy.ca. Also, if you are on social media, please join in on my artic journey at @SoArtsy.ca – I often share what we're up to in the art studio.

Bio:

Kelly, born and raised in Ottawa, is fueled by her passion for creativity and positivity. With a lifelong love for art, she embarked on her artistic journey early, landing her first job at the Nepean Visual Arts Centre in the 1990s, a place where she continues to teach art classes today!

In 2004, Kelly earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts Honours from Queen's University. Driven by a desire to immerse herself in the art world, she pursued further education in museum studies and heritage conservation. This path led her to a profound appreciation for museums and local history.

Until 2021, Kelly served as a vital member of the senior leadership team at the Diefenbunker: Canada's Cold War Museum, simultaneously contributing her expertise as a board member for Ottawa Tourism. When the COVID-19 pandemic reshaped the world around her, Kelly pivoted to support her family and transformed her passion for art into a thriving business – So Artsy. She is now 3 years into being a full-time artist and she continues to share her love of art through creating and teaching.  In April of 2023, Kelly joined the therapeutic creative arts team at Perley Health.

Beyond her creative pursuits, Kelly leads an active life, balancing her roles as an avid runner (she just ran 10k during Ottawa Race Weekend and raised over $1000 for Perley Health) and dragon boat paddler to being a devoted mom to two young children and a cherished fur baby, and loving wife to her amazing husband. Kelly's vibrant spirit and dedication to her artistic endeavours aims to inspire all those around her.

My work focuses on painting and drawing to investigate themes of memory and meaning making. I use observation as a gateway to explore personal subject matter, allowing the subject to reveal itself to me over time, feeling that in my body, and manifesting meaning from that.

I am a limited palette oil painter focusing on spaces and objects that are meaningful in my life such as my garden, and the things that live in my garden. I present myself with active and chaotic subject matter. The kind that makes me take a deep breath before I dive in and tackle the untangling which presents itself in a physical response. I know something is right when I feel it in my body. A main approach of my painting is to reduce chaos to orderly and well observed colour and I am influenced by artists such as Matisse, Ewen Uglow, Fairfield Porter, Richard Diebenkorn, Tom Thompson, Joan Mitchell and Catherine Kehoe.

I find in drawing a deep physical and intellectual engagement and freedom of exploration in terms of materials, approach, surfaces and subject matter. The bird nest drawings are based on nests I collect from my garden or neighbourhood walks. They are wonders of nature, complex yet fragile, chaotic yet a haven. Challenging to draw, they are both an exploration of line and a reflection on nature, place, belonging and ultimately loss.

My work right now is about creating meaningful memory about my environment, that memory is physical, as well as visual, emotional and intellectual. In my work I present myself with chaotic and dynamic subject matter which I engage with using various strategies of restraint: limited palettes, new materials or approaches. These strategies help me to capture the exuberance of nature while pushing my skills and concentration.