Deceptively Simple

Deceptively Simple:

Often starting with the smallest of ideas,  Artist Thomas Kelly understands how to wield the power of simplicity to conjure a heartfelt response.

“As an artist, a painter, I tend to simplify things. I will leave some things out, to make the painting easier to understand, to assist the viewer to go in my direction. When I paint or draw, I design the rooms, the furniture, the clothes and the shoes. I choose the hair color, skin tone and wallpaper and find unity in the scene.

I like to say, “Paint what you know and it will appear honest.” If you look at my paintings you will see a lot of what I see. You will get to know some of the people that I know. This honesty- what you know and feel, like and dislike, shows through in the accents, the intonations - the things that I see in everyday life spill off the brush.

But in the end, I am a romantic, not a realist. And because I am not bound by what I see, there is an opportunity to create a world that reflects my passions, loves and fears in a way that lets my innermost thoughts occupy a physical place in the world. I draw from these ideas and then paint from these drawings, so even the largest and most involved of my paintings all begin from the tiniest sketch.”