Gary Kelley - Hudson River Gallery & Frame Co.


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"Art cannot exist without naked beauty displayed."
-William Blake

I've always enjoyed drawing and painting the human form. In my career as an illustrator for books and magazines it was imperative that I also be a storyteller. In this exhibition of paintings and monotypes I wanted to create a body of somewhat narrative works unified by a common theme. Venus, the goddess of peace, beauty, love (and lust) seemed the perfect muse. The paintings in particular have been informed not only by the mythological figure but also by my interest in words, music, and travel...from the poetry of Pablo Neruda to the tone poems of Composer Gustav Holst and a visit to the Montreaux Jazz Festival. The images are a mix of experience, memory, and imagination.

Stylistically, I can't ignore the influence of my heros from a century ago. They are post-impressionists like Matisse, Bonnard, and Picasso. I also can't resist the occasional twist; Botticelli's Venus reborn in the trenches of Verdum or Titian's Venus titillating the Duke of Ellington. Or perhaps a bit of provocation for the viewer to imagine his or her own scenario in response to a contemporary Venus enjoying her bath or missing her lover.

And through it all the ghost of Pierre Bonnard is whispering in my ear, "Composition is everything".