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PETE KELLY fine art encaustic photographer
Transcript of Please click here for a PDF Biography with Images
PETE KELLYfine art encaustic photographer
"My approach to photography is very similar to a painter,
I want to interpret more than is captured in one frame,
the image capture is just the beginning of the creative process for me.
My work is a complex process of multiple photographic layers,
some textural, some imagery, layered in Photoshop
and output to museum-quality digital pigment prints on
watercolor paper, mounted on board with Encaustic wax surface,
consisting of Beeswax and Damar Resin."
“Kelly blurs the line between photography and painting.
His subject matter, ranging from images of the natural world
(flora and fauna), to urban and residential landscapes
and focuses on the individual’s place in a given environment,
as expressed by his or her body language.
‘New York Artworld’ Magazine
To layer a brush-stroke, grainy or scratchy image
on top of a pristine photograph, degrading the
image and breaking fundamental photographic
rules, is important in my work as an artist.
To communicate the medium in an alternative way,
to provoke memory in the viewer by offering
nostalgic references in the brush-stroke or scratch,
paying homage to painter’s like Turner , Constable and
Giacometti. My photographic influences are Irving
Penn, Albert Watson, Michael Kenna and Keith
Carter.
Ultimately, I strive to create a cohesive body of
work which encompasses a broad range of styles,
from the large depth of field (sharp focus) scenes
in Cityscapes and Landscapes, to the shallow depth
of field (out of focus) in the Abstract images, shot
in silhouette, where the textural layers take on a
more prominent role.
I finish off many of my pieces with an ancient
Egyptian crafting technique using encaustic wax.
ARTIST STATEMENT
I try to see beauty around me, drawing beauty
from ugliness by capturing close up textures of
fading paint or graffiti, or by reducing the shape
of the subject to silhouette.
My photographs represent a collaboration of
ideas in the camera and the computer, utilizing
photographic and digital techniques, arriving at a
point which reflects the Dadaist concept
‘Photography as the Art of the Found’.
My images are rarely staged, they may be photo-
graphically manipulated for example photographing
the subject out of focus, or digitally manipulated,
by layering images or textures together for a
conceptual purpose. However the images were
found, as represented in the viewfinder of the
camera at that moment in time.
The nostalgic or painterly style, which is created
by layering photographs of found textures such
as close-ups of stone walls, brush strokes on
canvas, or scratches on photographic film.
The ‘spontaneity’ in the texture reinforces the
Dadaist ‘Found Object as Art’ concept.
PHOTOGRAPHIC ENCAUSTIC
I am one of a few photographers who has worked
extensivley with the encaustic technique and have
taught photographic encaustic workshops to other
photographers in my studio in Cheshire, U.K, and
at the Applied Arts School, Amagansett, New York.
The early Egyptian iconic art and relics in Pharaoh’s
tombs contain encaustic wax paintings. I utilize
this technique in a modern context, encasing my
photographs in wax on prepared board.
Using beeswax is a passion of mine, the more I learn
about Bees, the more I’m amazed and understand the
need to bring awareness to the declining populations
of Bees and their pivotal role in pollination of plants.
To view video of my process click here.
ART BLOCKS
My fine art photographic Artblocks are handcrafted
using 100% fine art materials on recycled wood
which is then coated with encaustic wax.
The image is layered with texture digitally and
printed onto 300 gsm cotton rag watercolor paper
using light-fast pigment inks.
It is then adhered to the gessoed board using
acid free glue, varnished and the edges sanded
and painted. It is then coated with a bees wax and
Damar Resin mixture.
I try to use recycled materials whenever possible
in my work. I currently recycle 13” wide circles of
1” thick plywood, which is left over from making
loudspeakers in the business above us in the mill.
We cut them into 9”x9” squares, or 8”x10”, for
images to be mounted on. I also use 18”x 8ft
sheets of plywood and offcuts of the same 1” thick
plywood in 8ft lengths for making the frames of
the panels, for mounting images on.
LANDSCAPES
Photos: Private Collection, Hudson, New York
CITYSCAPESCITYSCAPES
FLORA
ABSTRACTS
EQUESTRIAN
ANIMALS
PEOPLE & PLACES
PRODUCT COLLECTIONS
IKEA, Paperhouse Cards, Hallmark Cards, Habitat,
Felix Rosensteil’s.
DISPLAY INSTALLATIONS
Polo
Osaka, Japan Store
2 - (16x20” and 30x40”) prints on paper
Bloomingdales
59th Street Store, NY
‘New York Skyline’ - 20ft x 8ft mural
Soho Store, NY
‘Imaginary New York’ - 30 x 30” giclee print on
canvas
‘Taxi Cab’ - 30 x 30” giclee print on canvas
COMMISSIONS: RETAIL
Photos: (left) IKEA ‘San Francisco Crop’ (right) ‘New
York Skyline’, ‘Imaginary New York’ , ‘Taxi Cab’
Henley Hotel • Washington, DC
Interior Design: Hein & Cozzi
Images for 200 room refurbishment
The Krebs • NY
Interior Design: McAlpine, Ferrier
1 - 30 x 30” encaustic on board
1 - 56 x 56” encaustic on board
1 - 66 x 66” encaustic on board
Connaught Hotel • London
Interior Design: Oliver Laws
1 - 24 x 60” mural print
2 - 20 x 24” prints
1 - 30 x 40” print
Avalon Hotel • New York, NY
Interior Design: Hein & Cozzi
1 - 44 x 44” encaustic on board
COMMISSIONS: HOSPITALITY
‘Ring-a-Roses’ - Milk Gallery, Auction for Haiti ReliefIt fetched the highest bid that night
FOTORELIEF and A Milk Gallery Project organizes “A Picture Saves A Thousand Lives” silent photo auction event to contribute to the Haitian earthquake relief effort through ROSE Charities.
Over 100 of the world's most respected fashion and fine art photographers are each donating a photograph to be exhibited and auctioned off that evening, with the opening bids ranging from $300 to $10,000. Invited guests – art patrons, collectors, celebrities, and the fashion & fine art photography world elite – will have the opportunity to take home an important work of art, while making an invaluable contribution to the relief effort.
All of the proceeds from the auction will go to ROSE Charities, to provide long-term care and rehabilitation for the survivors of the Haitian earthquake.
CHARITY AUCTIONS
SOLO
Red Chair Gallery • Kansas City, MO
Williamsburg Art & Historical Society • Brooklyn, NY
Get Real Art • Manhattan, NY
Robin Rice Gallery • Manhattan, NY Carrie Haddad Gallery • Hudson, NY707 Contemporary • Santa Fe, NM
Robin Rice Gallery • Manhattan, NY
Lunar Boy Gallery • Astoria, ORMarziart Internationale • Hamburg, DECalvin Charles Gallery • Scottsdale, AZ
Robin Rice Gallery • Manhattan, NY
Toucan Art • Cheadle Hulme, Cheshire, UK
The Crowne Estate • Windsor Gate Park Conservatory Gallery, UK
The Corner Gallery • Carshalton Beeches, Nr London, UK
‘Artday’ Lyme Hall • Lyme Park, Cheshire, UKRobin Rice Gallery • Manhattan, NY
Jarva Gallery • Whaley Bridge, High Peak,
Derbyshire, UK
“
GROUP
Sloan-Kettering Hospital • NYSoho Photo Gallery • Manhattan, NY
Dow & Jones • NYRobin Rice Gallery • Manhattan, NY
Get Real Art • Manhattan, NY
Bloomingdales Photographic Collection707 Contemporary • Santa Fe, NM Aspen International Art • Aspen, COHudson Galleries • New Orleans, LALightbox Gallery • Kansas City, MO
Gallery 22 • Hale, Cheshire, UKCalvin Charles Gallery • Scottsdale, AZ Lunar Boy Gallery • Astoria, ORMarziart Internationale • Hamburg, DE
Toucan Art, Cheadle Hulme • Cheshire, UK
Conservatory Gallery • Windsor Great Park, Surrey, UK
Jarva Gallery • Whaley Bridge, Derbyshire, UKMilk Gallery, Auction for Haiti Relief • NY
WildAid Gala Auction • San Francisco, CA
Art of Interiors • Hale, Cheshire, UK
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GALLERY REPRESENTATION
Robin Rice Gallery • New York, NY
Art of Interiors • Hale, UK
Jarva Gallery • High Peak, UK
Londonart • London, UK
Artsia • UK
SaatchiOnline • London, UK
Pete Kelly’s latest show evokes memory through
strong associative, emotional and surreal
imagery, stretching reality toward a timeless
fantasia. Through his collection, Kelly invites
viewers to not only bear witness to the moments
he has captured in frame, but provides tangible
windows of access in each piece, rousing their
faded cache of memories and permitting them to
relive each experience as if it were their own.”
Robin Rice
EXHIBITIONS
