Parker Kelly

Parker Kelly, from Monticello, Georgia, is a Fine Art Studio Concentration major at Georgia College & State University who specializes in mixed media collage. Her style is abstract and open to interpretation. She is passionate about photography and painting and combines the two in her work.

pkellyart.com

Artist Statement

Growing up, I was unaware of my parents’ struggles within their marriage, or my sister’s mental health. As an adult, I am more understanding of their individual habits and emotions. My father has dealt with alcoholism for as long as I can remember, and my mother did her best to keep the peace within our family. Although their marriage did not last, I still feel united with each of them. My sister battles her manic depressive bipolar daily and I am always understanding of how she may act. My family has inspired me to create large scale digital portraits of each immediate family member and develop each painting as unique as them. Each personality trait is abstractly described within the background, and their portraits help to amplify their individuality. By exploring different ways to make digital collages, I have produced my work to show how different my father is from my mother, or how different I am from my sister while still unifying each piece, because even though we no longer live with one another, we are still tied to one another.

Digital collage allows me to have the freedom to create each portrait in a way that can be easily interpreted. I am grateful for each one of my family members and for their allowance to let me create this work.