Kelly Boesch - Artist Statement
The biggest influence in my art has always been nature. Since I started creating art as a child I would find things in nature and incorporate them into my artwork. I love the way things age in their environment, especially metals and woods. I am constantly trying to recreate the look of tarnished metals and weathered woods. I love working with texture. I put as much time into creating my textures sometimes as I do painting.
I have two very distinct types of painting. One is very earthy and much of it has an Asian influence as I am very drawn to Asian art and culture. I collect statues of Buddha from around the world and try to incorporate the Buddhist Philosophy into my life style and paintings. The other type of paintings I do are extremely colorful but still have textures that could reflect metals or woods. I tend to draw a lot while creating my paintings. I was a fine arts major in college with an emphasis in drawing and still love to draw very much.
I knew I wanted to be an artist as young as I can remember. I had no other option in my mind heading into college other than studying art. I presented my senior portfolio for the Ohio Governors Youth Art Exhibition and came in first place and was presented with a scholarship to the University of Akron. I excelled in drawing and mixed media works.
When I start a new painting it’s usually from an inspiration that just popped into my head. I start creating the paintings in my mind first and then incorporate them onto the canvas. Sometimes I just start placing colors or textures on a canvas and start creating without a real sense of where the painting may go. Sometimes my paintings will take several different turns and look completely different than when I started. I am also known to go back later and change paintings that I had thought were finished. I spend a lot of time thinking about how to re-create things I see throughout my day.
I am always extremely observant of my surroundings and colors and textures around me. I am often daydreaming of how to turn what I see into a painting. Colorful birds and sunsets inspire me very much. I love to try to blend difficult colors together to try to make them look seamless in the paintings. I love a challenge and am always trying to push myself to try to use colors I normally wouldn’t think of using.
Another big influence in my life has been my step father, John Sokol, who I admire so much. As a teenager I would look at every detail in his paintings and wanted to find my own style and inspirations. I worked at the Akron Art Museum for five years through high school and college as well and had so much inspiration that it was almost overwhelming. I have had some comparisons to Mark Rothko as I tend to use a lot of square shapes in my paintings, and my color use and blends are similar. I often get inspiration looking at other artist's paintings and incorporate different colors uses and textures using my own painting style.
I have two very distinct types of painting. One is very earthy and much of it has an Asian influence as I am very drawn to Asian art and culture. I collect statues of Buddha from around the world and try to incorporate the Buddhist Philosophy into my life style and paintings. The other type of paintings I do are extremely colorful but still have textures that could reflect metals or woods. I tend to draw a lot while creating my paintings. I was a fine arts major in college with an emphasis in drawing and still love to draw very much.
I knew I wanted to be an artist as young as I can remember. I had no other option in my mind heading into college other than studying art. I presented my senior portfolio for the Ohio Governors Youth Art Exhibition and came in first place and was presented with a scholarship to the University of Akron. I excelled in drawing and mixed media works.
When I start a new painting it’s usually from an inspiration that just popped into my head. I start creating the paintings in my mind first and then incorporate them onto the canvas. Sometimes I just start placing colors or textures on a canvas and start creating without a real sense of where the painting may go. Sometimes my paintings will take several different turns and look completely different than when I started. I am also known to go back later and change paintings that I had thought were finished. I spend a lot of time thinking about how to re-create things I see throughout my day.
I am always extremely observant of my surroundings and colors and textures around me. I am often daydreaming of how to turn what I see into a painting. Colorful birds and sunsets inspire me very much. I love to try to blend difficult colors together to try to make them look seamless in the paintings. I love a challenge and am always trying to push myself to try to use colors I normally wouldn’t think of using.
Another big influence in my life has been my step father, John Sokol, who I admire so much. As a teenager I would look at every detail in his paintings and wanted to find my own style and inspirations. I worked at the Akron Art Museum for five years through high school and college as well and had so much inspiration that it was almost overwhelming. I have had some comparisons to Mark Rothko as I tend to use a lot of square shapes in my paintings, and my color use and blends are similar. I often get inspiration looking at other artist's paintings and incorporate different colors uses and textures using my own painting style.