βKELLIS ARTSβ
james kellis
fine art β PASTELS β MIXED MEDIA β ILLUSTRATION β PROSE β PRINTS
JAMES KELLIS
Asheville born artist, working in soft pastels and a variety of mixed media. Founder and director of appalachian creative front, arts cooperative.
Inspired by the enchanting layers and textures of his homeland and the idiosyncratic culture it produces; raised in a family of creative and curious locals who nurture and challenge the artistic spirit; molded by all manner of post- cold war pop, niche obsessions, and the thriving bones of radical DIY punk gonzo occult acid counterculture; Kellis is oriented towards representing and transforming the aesthetic terrain.
Dramatic landscapes, intimate portraits, dynamic figures, bold thematic illustrations; visions-- expressive, mysterious, mythical, historical-- images that invite the viewer to explore alluring but uncertain ground. Novel and familiar; comforting and disquieting; macabre, comedic, abstract, candid, playful, transgressive, absurd-- each subject, Kellis honors with curiosity, empathy, passion, insight, and resolve; grotesque and gorgeous alike.
Photo by Sandra Stambaugh
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