John Kelley Biography
John Kelley is a modern visual artist whose work has won numerous awards and acclaim[citation needed]. He works in both pastels and oil, often focusing on landscapes and still life. Born in 1965 in Hammond, Indiana, John Kelley grew up in St. Louis Missouri and now lives with his wife Elizabeth, and their five children, in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. John’s interest in art emerged as a young child and solidified into a passionate calling during his many hours of lingering in the St. Louis Art Museum while in high school. John has a particular interest and appreciation for great landscape painters of the past including Edgar Alwin Payne, John Fabian Carlson, and William Turner (artist). His time spent studying these masters have inspired the poetic beauty of Kelley’s work and have encouraged him to strive for paintings that have a timeless visual impact with a contemporary bent. Several years ago John began to paint small 5”x5” pastel studies as color guides for his larger oil paintings. Collectors immediately fell in love with these, “tiny treescapes”, and have continued to seek out his work in galleries throughout the southeast.
AWARDS:
• Best of Show, Alabama Pastel Society, Regional Show • Best of Show, Southeastern Pastel Society, Members Show • Best of Show, Winterhaven Artfest, FL • Best of Show, Alabama Pastel Society, Members Show • Best of Show, Eau Gallie Arts and Jazz Festival • Best of Show, Gainesville 18th Annual Downtown Art Festival • First Place, Painting, Mainsail, St. Petersburg FL • First Place, Painting, Artigras, Palm Beach Gardens, FL