Toni Kelly

01/23/2013

Artist Statement: While working in the garden or hiking on a trail I am constantly inspired by nature's beauty, complexity and patterns. Mostly working from photo reference and Plein Air sketches I create bird portraits, birds in landscapes, landscapes and wildlife in an impressionistic way to capture their reality. My goal is to draw you into the painting by creating depth using color, texture, light and shadow. Beginning with light layers of paint I build up the color and texture with each layer of paint and sometimes applying the paint in an abstract way rather than detail. Part of my process is also using palette knives and mixing mediums such as cold wax into my paints depending on the surface and texture to achieve the impression of the landscape or the feathers of a bird.

The Artists