Artist Statement
Kelly M.
Alexander
By re-creating memories of
environments and relationships, I emphasize the layers that are formed by
figures and spaces. Most of my
work has emotions of nostalgia, time, and identity. Growing up, I would walk through prairie lands and see
repetitions of lines, colors, and patterns, which inspired me to draw and paint. Maybe it was the neglected trails or
the haphazard characteristics of the trees that drew me in. Since then, I have discovered the
growth, decay, cracks, and crevices that this landscape offers for me to
explore, which became a part of a structure of my identity.
During my second year of College I
found old photos of a young lady from the 1900’s, so I started wondering and
asking myself questions about the photos…who was she? What was her life like?
Was she happy or sad? I honestly
don’t know why but I wanted to know. I kept collecting old photos and nostalgic objects and began
research on women during that time period and transferred their faces, dreams,
and memories to my artwork, which formed visual stories. I felt that repeating these figures would
show a dimension of time and layers and how one point in time they became
forgotten images.
When I moved to Milwaukee to finish
school to get my Bachelors of Fine Arts, I discovered a need to connect my
figurative imagery with my landscape imagery to understand my purpose of the
two ideas. While in Milwaukee, I
thought a lot about home and what reminded me of home such as my family, my
bedroom, cornfields, sounds of familiar voices and trains. I related myself to the photos and old
objects I had found because I felt lost without the things in my life that made
me feel safe. The one thing that
kept me moving ahead was producing artwork about my home, nature, and the lost
photos/objects. My work evolved
into a much deeper meaning of time.
Education
-Milwaukee
Institute of Art & Design, Milwaukee, WI
Bachelor of Fine Arts: Printmaking, May 2010
-Joliet Junior College, Joliet, IL
Associates of Art, May 2008
Bachelor of Fine Arts: Printmaking, May 2010
-Joliet Junior College, Joliet, IL
Associates of Art, May 2008
Exhibitions
2011 March, Women Artist, Urban Art Retreat, Chicago IL, Juried Exhibition
2011 February, Solo Show, Gallery Night, Coal City IL
2010 November, Group Show: Disguise, Purdue Univ. IN, Juried Exhibition
2010 August, Solo Show, Coal City Public Library, Coal City IL
2010 April, Thesis Show, MIAD Gallery, Milwaukee WI
2009 May, UWM Union Art Gallery, Milwaukee WI, Juried Exhibition
2009 March, MIAD Entrance Gallery, Milwaukee WI
2008 September, Collective 33 Gallery, Chicago IL
2008 April, Laura A. Spragque Art Gallery, “Community College Art Show” University Parkway Il, Juried Exhibition
2008 February, Ruddell Gallery, Black Hill University “Baker’s Dozen” Black Hills SD
2008 April, Laura A. Spragque Art Gallery, “Community College Art Show” Joliet IL, Juried Exhibition