Kelley Ogburn

I am constantly inspired by our need to seek beauty in the midst of our struggles- When we are able to find grateful heart in the now and relinquish our own desires in order to gain confidence in what is yet to come.

I find the process of creating itself to be inspiring. It has taught me how to combine knowledge with instinct, and shown me the importance of focus, balance, and acceptance — both visually and personally. 

I begin each piece with a line drawing, and then react with instinctual brush strokes and washes of color. The drawn subject captures a brief moment in time, while the visceral execution delivers the unseen truths surrounding it. This juxtaposition emphasizes the interconnectedness of all components of life: the seen with the unseen, the light with the darkness, the joy with the sorrow. For one cannot exist without the other. 

 My work exposes life for what it is — both hard and beautiful — and encourages the viewer to accept the whole of it. The whole of it being so much greater than its parts. For it is when all of the parts come together as one that the beauty of life is revealed.