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Juan Kelly
Oil on Canvas
 
Mary's Comment:

"Magical, sensational and fantastic are the characters that Juan depicts in his paintings.  They have an amazing similarity to the human condition and in many cases look like us and act like us, but all the while we are looking at lions and zebras and birds and...
... and what things are they doing?  If these don't put a smile on your face, then maybe you need some smile therapy.  Come in for therapy and wonderful paintings by Juan.  Hint:  it is all in the eyes."
 
Juan Kelly
"Ripened Fruit" 40" X 48" Oil on Canvas $14,500
Juan Kelly
"Faith in Sagitarius" 40" X 48" Oil on Canvas $14,500
 
Juan Kelly
"The Collector" 40" X 48" Oil on Canvas $14,500
Juan Kelly
"The Spot" 40" X 50" Oil on Canvas $14,500
 
Juan Kelly in His Studio
 
 
 

Exerpt from the Juan Kelly's book ,"With the Caribbean Sea as a background and a mixture of childhood memories and imagination, Kelly set out to construct his own world. Encouraged by his family, he began painting at the age of six. During much of his early career, he painted sceneries with folk tales and Caribbean women, which later evolved in a realistic Dutch Master type still life paintings. To this date, the color and light he captures often has the atmosphere of the Old Masters’ paintings. Many of the traditional elements of those paintings are sill found in his work: a velvety-rich tapestry, a vase, or a bowl of fruit.

The images in his paintings are metaphors for the human experience; and while some metaphors lie close to the surface, others are buried deep within the painting. To understand Kelly’s paintings, three aspects need to be considered: the visual image that evokes a magical world; second, the composition of the work that creates the excitement and supports all the elements in the painting in a subconscious orchestration; and third, the actual meaning or metaphor of the painting (this aspect being the most simple yet the most complex of all). It is simple because we subconsciously and organically identify with the archetypes that the images represent; it is complex because the meaning of the paintings is multi-layered and there is usually something that is about to happen, which opens the door for a philosophical or existential debate.

Kelly does this purposely to stimulate the imagination of the viewer and claims that, “As long as the viewer is not 100% certain of an action taking place, the painting will continue to live in a mythological relationship with the viewer…and that is when a painting truly lives. I try not to ruin it for the viewer by giving them my full personal view. Rather I create a space, a mood, and set the stage where feelings will be similar but explanations will be different.” Kelly’s menagerie of creative vision is the type of artwork that permanently imprints upon your memory bank and refuses to be shaken free." "Keeping with the accuracy and spirit of these reviews and articles, some have been edited or modifi ed to keep thematical uniformity and reduce redundancies."
Reviews

 

The Journal North  Playing with the Viewer’s Eyes   October 2003

“[Kelly’s] vocabulary consists of a few, carefully selected elements, each fraught with meaning...His large oils are suffused with the magical realism and vivid palette associated with his native Latin America.” -- Dottie Indyke


The New Mexican  Fangs, Paws and a Little Mystery  July 2002

“If you bought one of artist Juan Kelly’s colorful and complex oil-on-canvas paintings depicting animals doing human things, you’d probably end up hanging it on your wall and studying it everyday in an attempt to figure out what it all means.  And you may never find out.” -- Robert Nott


Pasatiempo  New Faces Invigorate the Art Scene in 1992  January 1993

“With their rich tones and ever-present horizons of open seas, Kelly’s menagerie of creative visions are the type of artworks that stick to your memory banks and refuse to be shaken loose.” -- John Villani

SantaFean   September 1997

“Each painting [is] a world unto itself, where anything is possible but everything happens within the bounds of the laws that govern that world -- which makes each painting a world worth exploring.” -- Perrin Patterson

Pasatiempo  Juan Kelly’s Realism and Exotic Fantasy  June 1992

“[Kelly] imparts to [his] creatures a compelling sense of personality...all of which combine to blur the point at which man and animal part intellectual and emotional company.” -- John Villani


Pasatiempo When Cows Eat Watermelons and the Lions Befriend Zebras

“The fantastical still life works of this Costa Rican-born artist fuse the exotic with the mundane in a revelry of pure imagination...Removed from the world of politics and exempt from the laws of nature, Kelly’s work pricks the viewer’s imagination in a vivid exploration of ‘what if?’ ” -- Lesli Allison

 
Juan Kelly paints a magical world suffused with visual metaphor. Challenging our perceptions of reality, Kelly’s artwork refuses to offer tidy resolutions to the questions posed. Utilizing the formal elements and techniques of old master paintings, Kelly constructs a enigmatic world that confronts our penchant for the familiar. Transported beyond stereotypical convention, Juan Kelly’s paintings mine the fertile territory of our collective subconscious and introduce us to layers of nuance and double entendres.

 

Metaphors and archetypes play a central role in Kelly’s painting. Assembling an unlikely couterie of animals and settings, the artist alludes to our subconscious experience as well as our keenest moments of self-realization. Kelly’s use of archetypal imagery in combination with masterful compositional motifs, catapults us into a realm abundant with possibility. Kelly’s use of rich, jewel-like colors saturate the fruit, foliage and drapery so often found in his work. In his hands, paint is transformed into an ebullient luster, infusing each element with a luscious sensuality.

 

Juan Kelly was born and grew up in Costa Rica and is currently living in the US. He is highly esteemed in his native country where his artwork is in major museums, including the Presidential Collection. Over the last 30 years, Kelly has exhibited work extensively throughout Europe, the United States and Latin America. Kelly’s oil paintings can be found in over 300 private collections. 


Art-Talk   Mythical Creatures: Uncommon Animal Art   March 2006

“It is at this level of [dream] symbolism the Santa Fe artist Juan Kelly works animals into his paintings...Creating stories told at an instinctual level, Kelly focuses on the story while selecting animals that will tell it best.” -- Renke Targos

Pasatiempo   December 2004

“...the paintings are not necessarily whimsical or cutesy; the artist’s critters -- lions, cows, zebras and pelicans -- embody a human sensibility and often appear to be on the verge of saying something.” -- Robert Nott

SantaFean   Seducing the Sense: The Art of Juan Kelly   March 2005

“Rooted in the Magical Realism of Latin America, Kelly’s oil-on-canvas paintings embrace viewers who find humor and pathos in animals.” -- Lynn Kline

Pasatiempo  Let Them Eat Art   February 2004

cover page
     

SOLO EXHIBITIONS

 

May 2011  Mary Martin Gallery, 39 Broad Street, Charleston, SC USA
2008

Nüart Gallery, Santa Fe, NM, USA

2006

Psychosomnia, Nüart Gallery, Santa Fe, NM, USA

2004

The Water is in the Melon, Nüart Gallery, Santa Fe, NM, USA

2002

The Archetypological Fruits, Nüart Gallery, Santa Fe, NM, USA

2000

The Passion of Being, Portals Gallery, Chicago, IL, USA

21st Century Surrealist & Symbolist, Magidson Fine Art, Aspen, CO, USA

1997

The Passion to Be, Turner-Carroll Gallery, Santa Fe, NM, USA

1994

Psycho-Vigilance, Turner-Carroll Gallery, Santa Fe, NM, USA

1993

The Romantic Pursuit, Turner-Carroll Gallery, Santa Fe, NM, USA

1992

Still Lives Are Not What They Used to Be, Turner-Carroll Gallery, Santa Fe, NM, USA

1989

The Artists’ Gallery, Santa Fe, NM, USA

1987

Alianza Francesa (The Culteral Institute of the French  Embassy), San José, Costa Rica

1986

Museo Ethnohistorico (Ethnohistoric Museum), Limón, Costa Rica

Gallery Ottokar, Basel, Switzerland

1985

Gallery Residenz, Bamberg, West Germany

The National Theater of Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica

1979

Corte Suprema de Justica (Supreme Court), Limón, Costa Rica

1978

University of Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica

 

SELECT GROUP EXHIBITIONS

 

2008

Artscapes, Knoxville Museum, Knoxville, TN, USA

Blink Gallery, Boulder, CO, USA  (2-person exhibit)

2003

See Worthy: Vessels from the Desert Southwest, Northern  Michigan University Art Museum, Marquette, MI, USA

2002

Georgia O’Keeffe Museum, Santa Fe, NM, USA

National Museum of Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica

2000

SOFA New York, William Zimmer Gallery, New York, NY, USA

1999

SOFA Chicago, William Zimmer Gallery, Chicago, IL, USA

1998

Suzanne Brown Gallery, Scottsdale, AZ, USA

1997

El Espíritu del Arte Latinoaméricano (The Spirit of Latin American Art), Galería Valanti, San José, Costa Rica

1994

El Mundo del Arte de Nuevo México (The World of New Mexican Art), Office of the Governor of Guadalajara, Guadalajara, Mexico

Sarah Dobbs Gallery, Vancouver, Canada

1993

New York Art Expo, New York, NY, USA

Art Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA

1992

Rick Moore Art Group, Naples, FL, USA

Jeanine Meijers Gallery, Scottsdale, AZ, USA

Contemporary Classicism, Chimeara Art Space, Los Angeles, CA, USA

1991

The Wilderness Society Exhibition, Peyton-Wright Gallery, Santa Fe, NM, USA

Turner-Carroll Gallery, Santa Fe, NM, USA

Carole Laroche Gallery, Santa Fe, NM, USA

1990

Museum of Fine Arts, Santa Fe, NM, USA

1989

The Lure of NM Imagery, Gallery 10, Inc., Santa Fe, NM, USA

The Artists’ Gallery, Santa Fe, NM, USA

1988

Life of Jamaica, Kingston, Jamaica

1986

Museo de Arte Contemporáneo (Museum of Contemporary Art), Seville, Spain

1984

Museo National (National Museum), San José, Costa Rica

Museo del Banco Conetral, I Bienal Lachner & Saenz,(Central Bank Museum, San José, Costa Rica

1983

Alianza Francesa (The Cultural Institute of the French Embassy), San José, Costa Rica

1982

Centro Commercial El Pueblo, San José, Costa Rica

1981

Banco Central (Central Bank), San José, Costa Rica

1980

Julia Marchena Gallery, San José, Costa Rica Gallery La Natión, San José, Costa Rica

1977

Instituto National de Seguros (National Insurance Building), San José, Costa Rica

1976

Municipalidad de Limón (Province Municipal Building), Limón, Costa Rica

 

PUBLIC COLLECTIONS

 

Ethnohistoric Museum, Limón, Costa Rica

JAPDEVA (Eastern Coast Port Authority), Limón, Costa Rica

Lachner & Saenz, S.A., San José, Costa Rica

Museum of Contemporary Art, Seville, Spain

National Theater, San José, Costa Rica

Presidential Palace, San José, Costa Rica

RECOPE (Costa Rica’s nationalized petroleum complany), San José, Costa Rica

SINTRAJAP (National Port Workers Union), Limón, Costa Rica

Standard Fruit Company, Limón, Costa Rica

The Cultural Institute of the French Embassy, San José, Costa Rica

The Collection of Wellington Management Company, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Over 300 private and public collections in the United States, Canada, Central and South America,

   Europe and Japan.

 

BIBLIOGRAPHY

 

Targos, Renke, “Mythical Creatures: Uncommon Animal Art,” Art-Talk, March 2006.

Kline, Lynn, “Seducing the Sense: The Art of Juan Kelly,” SantaFean, March 2005.

Nott, Robert, Santa Fe New Mexican, Pasatiempo, December 2004.

“Let Them Eat Art,” Santa Fe New Mexican, Pasatiempo, February 2004.

Indyke, Dottie, “Playing with the Viewer’s Eyes,” The Journal North, October 2003.

Nott, Robert, “Fangs, Paws and a Little Mystery,” The New Mexican, July 2002.

Patterson, Perrin, SantaFean, September 1997.

Villani, John, “New Faces Invigorate the Art Scene in 1992,” Santa Fe New Mexican, Pasatiempo, January 1993.

Villani, John, “Juan Kelly’s Realism and Exotic Fantasy,” Santa Fe New Mexican, Pasatiempo, June 1992.

Allison, L., “When Cows Eat Watermelons and the Lions Befriend Zebras,” Santa Fe New Mexican, Pasatiempo.

Medhurst, Crescencia Leon, ”Memorable Costa Rican Art,” The Sunday Gleaner, Kingston, Jamaica. April 10, 1988.

La Nacíon, San José, Costa Rica. November 19, 1987.

”Pintor Limonense Juan Kelly expone en la Alianza Francesa,” La Republica, San José, Costa Rica. November 13, 1987.

”Una danza de flores,” La Nacíon, San José, Costa Rica. February 23, 1987.

”Kelly expone en Limón,” La Republica, San José, Costa Rica. November 21, 1986.

”Pintor limonense expuso en Suiza,” La Nacíon, San Republica, Costa Rica. September 17, 1986.

Basler Zeitung (Basel Daily News), Basel Switzerland. July 10, 1986.

The Tico Times, San José, Costa Rica. May 2, 1986.

”Experiencia deja frutos,” La Nacíon, San José, Costa Rica. March 6, 1986.

”Magia y color atrajeron a europeos,” Universidad, San José, Costa Rica. January 24, 1986.

”Aus Costa Rica,” Fränkischertag, Bamberg, Germany. October 5, 1985.

”Pintor limonense expondrá en Alemania,” La Republica, San José, Costa Rica. September 28, 1985.

”Un limonense muestra su obra en Alemania,” La Nacíon, San José, Costa Rica. September 27, 1985.

”Rasgos imonenses,” La Nacíon, San José, Costa Rica. May 8, 1985.

”El color, ritmo y sensualidad en los cuadros de Juan Kelly,” La Republica, San José, Costa Rica. May 5, 1985.

Kress, Susan,”New Painters of Costa Rica,” The Tico Times, San José, Costa Rica. June 29, 1984.

Fernández de Ulibarri, Rocío, ”De la apertura a la selección rigurosa,” La Nacíon, San José, Costa Rica. June 23, 1984.

”Juan Kelly expone en la Universidad,” La Nacíon, San José, Costa Rica. November 4, 1978.

”Exposición de pinturas al óleo de Juan M. Kelly,” La Republica, San José, Costa Rica. November, 1978.

”Exhibición pictórica de Juan Kelly,” La Prensa Libre, San José, Costa Rica. November 1, 1978.

La Prensa Libre, San José, Costa Rica. November 1, 1978.
  Mary Martin 
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103 Broad Street, Charleston, SC 29401  New Location
Gallery Row on Historic Broad Street      843-723-0303

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