Kelly E. James

The last couple of years my work has been evolving. I am glad for that because it reflects continual personal growth. I believe that whatever you choose to do in your life you should continually try to improve; to grow and evolve. There is no nirvana in life, be it with your job, hobby, relationship, or passion. I have always considered myself an illustrator of life and certainly have been known to have long, heated conversations about where the transitional line between fine art and illustration might be…. if there is actually one.

An active part in this evolution has been long drives with my husband, soaking in wonderful images, and taking photographs to use in future paintings. I love sponging (a term I use that means to learn, stretch, grow and absorb new things) and these drives are wonderful; saturated in visual richness and important stimuli for later time at the easel. One of the subtle impacts these outings and the photos I have been gathering through the last two years has had, has been the drift from painting people in historical story venues to the geographical settings themselves. The land, the time of day, the light, and the texture of the moment have begun to drive the images. The challenges of capturing these moments set in more demanding settings has been exhilarating and motivating. The stories are less blatant and allow the viewer to bring more of their personal stories to the image.
I hope you are enjoying the evolution.