About Ben
Sometimes I paint. Sometimes I do other things like reading books, though my artwork seemed to be the only subject that necessitated the creation of a website.
Painting is one of the only true passions / hobbies that I've developed in my life, and because of the sense of accomplishment and satisfaction it brings me, I know its something I'll always do.
As of late, I've found that I really enjoy combining realistic scenery with splatters and otherwise abstract elements in my work. However, I still wouldn't say that I've found my particular style just yet. Maybe its just immaturity as a painter, but I tend to get bored painting in a similar style for too long. Once I feel that I've said what should be said in a painting, I want to move on and say something different and say it in a different way.
If you like what you see - let me know. I love to get feedback. Thanks for stopping by!
Professional-Sounding biography for a featured artist series which I decided not to take part in, but hate to see such a nice summary go to waste:
"recent works...which integrate paint splatters and/or lyrical compositions with otherwise realistic scenery to better express emotion or a fleeting moment."
Benjamin Victor Kelley, a St Louis native, has been pursuing his passion for oil painting since graduating with a Bachelors of Arts degree in 2004 from Lipscomb University in Nashville, TN. Developing a French-Impressionistic style early-on, Ben continues to display an interest in richly-colored landscape motifs while also combining expressionist and abstract elements. This infusion of styles is apparent in recent works such as "Fresh-Painted Anxiety", "Sunrise Compromise", and "As I Stand Dreaming" which integrate paint splatters and/or handwritten lyrical compositions with otherwise realistic scenery to better express emotion or a fleeting moment.
Ben's interest in expressionism is most apparent in a recent series of paintings entitled "The Circle of Frailty." In this series, several individual paintings unveil a storybook of sorts when placed along side one another; the relationship between man and woman appearing as the central thesis.Ingrained in these works one can also find echoes of a Symbolist style coming to light; a funeral flower placed between the somber figures of a man and a woman in "Apathy in a Green Interior" and a disconnected, heart-colored phone in "Valediction" being a few examples of Ben's interest in further exploring an integration of artistic styles within his work.