Jay Kelly: Works from 2007 – 2014

Jay Kelly presents a selection of 27 sculptures and 10 drawings created from 2007 to 2014. Kelly’s intimate sculptures, the tallest of which measures 26 inches, exhibit elaborately worked surfaces that range from the refined to those that appear to be weathered and aged. The artist often painstakingly combines varied materials such as metal, wood, gesso, Hydrocal, Japanese paper and acrylic paint to render this dynamic assortment of abstract forms. A number of the works are constructed solely from nickel silver to which the artist applies a chemical coating to render the darkened and irregular surfaces. While small in size, each unique and meticulously handmade work has a commanding presence and delightfully idiosyncratic posture. Equally captivating are the artist’s 5 x 5 inch drawings on transparent vellum, which appear to glow. Each drawing includes the artist’s blurred gestural marks, a selective pallet of muted tones, and seemingly scrawled notations which often appear to hover in space.

Jay Kelly (American, born 1961)
top: Untitled #289, 2012  Metal, wood, gesso, acrylic
bottom: Untitled # 66 (2007), #65 (2007). #104 (2008)  Metal
Courtesy of the artist and Jim Kempner Fine Art, NYC