Artist Statement
My personal aesthetic embraces two important goals: observation of the natural world and exploration of a variety of art processes.
My practice includes landscapes, figures, produce, birds, animals and abstracts, and combining some of these images to create my own visual metaphors.
I keep sketchbooks of all kinds; they lend themselves to creating series that I love to do; the work itself creates its own path of development.
My media choices are primarily graphite and watercolor. Portability and ease of use are important. Drawing with graphite, a form of carbon, is simple and elegant, duplicating natural lighting with layers of lights and darks. Watercolor has a great appeal with its freshness and transparency. Working in watercolor requires simple but high quality materials - brushes, paper and professional pigments. Ideas are often begun with sketches on site, then developed in my studio where I have access to more materials and technology.
Marge Kelly, artist
For as long as I can remember, I’ve been making art. Early encounters in formal art education were disappointing, instructed as we were, to “draw the face exactly like the teacher”- I didn’t and thought mine was better and continued my personal pursuit of art making. Degree work in the arts led to teaching and administrative work in Chicago Public Schools and Marwen, (a not-for-profit art organization in Chicago). Workshops with wonderful artists such as Peggy Macnamara, Heeyoung Kim and others have been inspirational. In 2012, having been selected for a 3-week Ragdale Artist Residency, I was provided with intense creative time alongside many artists working in a variety of disciplines including dance, music, writing, and visual arts.
Recently, by participating in Life Sessions at the Art Center Sarasota, I have refreshed my figure drawing skills. My work has been shown at Marwen Gallery (Chicago), Chicago Cultural Center, Art Center Sarasota, Venice Art Center, Lexow Gallery (Sarasota), Artist Guild of Anna Maria Island and other sites in Florida. My work is held in many private collections as well.