Mike Kelly

My paintings border on the edge of abstraction and representation. I am not concerned with the literal interpretation of a scene or telling a story. It is a journey of visual discovery where color is the primary focus and soul of the painting. I use landscape as the starting point but my objective is to create a compelling image in it's own right. Each painting evolves from a combination of direct observation, photo reference, memory and invention. The color studies may also lead to a series of the same subject, each variation will evoke a different emotional response for the viewer. My key influences are the great colorists that use strong design and spontaneous brushwork: Mark Rothko, Richard Diebenkorn, Sean Scully and Wolf Kahn.