Kelly Kotary
Award-winning professional oil painter Kelly Kotary lives in Loveland, Colorado, at the foot of the Rockies.
She creates arresting compositions, often using a square format and vibrant contrasts of warm & cool colors or bright & dark values.
"My work is based on the ‘big shape’ concept – under the surface of every successful representational painting lurks an abstract structure, and the relationships of the shapes and values in the piece are of far more important than the literal subject matter."
She has been fortunate to study with such artists as James Biggers and Cathy Goodale, Susiehyer, and Kevin Weckbach.
"All kinds of things inspire me to paint - there are literally paintings everywhere. I am completely drawn to the natural beauty of the landscape around me, especially the dramatic lighting and
gorgeous colors that Colorado seems so able to provide. Rather than put down every detail of a scene, I try to capture the essential mood using solid design elements and expressive brushwork. Recently I've been working on painting more intuitively and less analytically."
Leave a comment
Also in Judsons Plein Air Journal
Take Your Art Outside: The Allure of Plein Air Painting
Have you ever felt the urge to ditch the studio and unleash your creativity in the fresh air? Plein air painting, ("in the open air"), might be the ticket.
X
Sarah Judson
Author