It’s no secret creating a single work of art takes a large amount of time and skill. People grow up with dreams of writing a book or creating a film.
Kelli Scott Kelley, professor of painting and drawing at the School of Art and Design, not only found the time to make her dreams a reality, but she has also created an exhibit centered on her book “Accalia and the Swamp Monster.”
Kelley describes the book as an “adult fairy tale” because of its mature images and dark tone. Walking through her exhibit at the LSU Museum of Art, it’s easy to tell much of her work has an ominous theme.
The green-painted walls act as the host to Kelley’s works that are painted on found fabrics instead of canvases. She uses the repurposed clothes because they are “ecologically friendly.”
“These fabrics come with a specific presence and history that I feel I can add to with my experience,” Kelley said.
Like most artists, Kelley grew up with her art. She was born and raised in Baton Rouge, where her mother painted as a hobby. Kelley soon began painting with her mother and received compliments on her early work. From there, she attended Baton Rouge Magnet High School when the school required students to declare a major. Without hesitation, Kelley chose art for her major, but she believes the major chose her.
After graduating from the University with a degree in printmaking, Kelley attended graduate school at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. With her master’s degree in sculpture in hand, Kelley traveled the world for 15 years, all while creating works of art. In 2000, she found herself compelled to share the knowledge she gathered from her travels and returned to Baton Rouge as a professor.
“I try to bring my real life experiences into the classroom,” Kelley said. “Art is a hard profession to succeed in, so these students have to be as professional as possible.”
Juggling her time as a teacher, mother and artist has been difficult for Kelley, but she said she finds dedication to her craft as the guide to balancing the many hats she wears. Kelley carves out studio time to create more art. Working years in advance, Kelley continues to meet deadlines for upcoming exhibits. Those deadlines help her find a schedule that works best for her multiple endeavors.
Kelley draws inspiration from fictional works and her own daydreams, which is how “Accalia and the Swamp Monster” began. She always has a narrative story within her work and decided to create a narrative work of her own.
In 2007, Kelley went on a sabbatical in Italy to gather ideas on how to tell her story and create images based on the tale. While in a museum, she found her inspiration and returned to the U.S. to begin her work.
Kelley began writing “Accalia and the Swamp Monster” in 2009. In 2010, she started creating the artwork which would correspond with the book. Using the ethereal feel of images from the Renaissance era, Kelley developed her characters and used her drawing techniques on found fabrics to flesh them out. This April, the book was released to the public. Tonight, the LSU Museum of Art will hold a reception to celebrate the connecting gallery.
“It was always about making a cycle of work that told a story,” Kelley said.
The exhibit features copies of the book, images from the book along with a few non-included works, an iPad with a copy of the book downloaded onto it and sculptures relating to the book and an eerie short film titled “Bird and Squirrel.”
The film was made in 2009 using the inner hallways of the old dormitories within Tiger Stadium. “Bird and Squirrel” focuses on a boy and girl who are trying to renew life on the planet.
“I had an office in the stadium back then and it just looked creepy enough to film in,” Kelley said.
Through all of these elements, Kelley shows her love for performance art and how it encompasses multiple art forms.
Kelley hopes that readers of the book take a personal message or inspiration from the book instead of focusing on the main character being a two-headed anthropomorphic fox.
In the fall of 2013, professor of art and photography Thomas Neff had a stroke. While in speech therapy, Neff called Kelley to inform her that he was using her book as a tool to relearn how to talk.
“It meant a lot to know that my book could help someone heal,” Kelley said.
The reception for “Accalia and the Swamp Monster” is at 6 p.m. tonight. It is free for University students and members of the museum and $10 for non-members.
You can reach Joshua Jackson on Twitter @Joshua_Jackson_.