About: Artist John Kelley

Culver Stockten College, Canton, MO
Bryan College, Dayton, TN

John Kelley's pastel paintings are executed on museum archival Wallis pastel paper that he tones with a pastel wash. He works in the midtone values and colors first and then moves to the darks and finishes with highlights. Quickly working from large to smaller shapes he alternates complex and simplified layers until he has the atmosphere that he is looking for.

All of Kelley's treescapes are created from memory and imagination. Many of his compositions are derived from distant memories while others reflect the emotion of scenes recently viewed. These tranquil treescapes are birthed without the aid of photography or any other mechanical device. With his memory and imagination alone, he distills the essence of a visual moment.

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