Journal Postings: Craig Kelly
| (04/22/09): NATIVE PEOPLES MAGAZINE MAY/JUNE 2009 |  I was very pleased to be chosen as the cover person of Native Peoples Magazine May/June 2009 Issue. There is a small paragraph about me in the table of contents. It also mentions the Center for Creativity, Craft and Design. The rest of the feature profiles the school I attended, The Institute of American Indian Arts. I am very honored to have been selected. THANKS!!! |
| (04/19/09): new works | | Good day. Today is a great day. I am writing this entry in the best of moods. I have recently started to work for one of the nation's largest banks. It is very interesting to see how things work from the inside. Its quite ironic due to the current economic circumstances that I am indeed happy to be in the position that I am. I have recently discovered a very different perspective on life when it comes to success on many different levels. A major change for me would be my style of dress. The dress code is very strict. I have found loop holes within the policies and have found a very large window of opportunity for the continuation of my expression even in the conservative world of business and banking. I recently started applying few specks of color to my wardrobe by means of hand dyed scarves, appliqued designs on vests and eventually found a way to express my self in a loose manner while still maintaining my professionalism. These are a few works that I've created as wearable art. They measure approximate 4" x 4". They're worn as pins. I am still finding new venues and may possibly look further into men's accessories. |
| (04/19/09): Dine' Eye Dazzler |  This piece is an image of a blanket that my good friend Melissa Cody wove as a gift for my BFA graduation. She incorporated an eye dazzler design with keys and bold stripes and step designs. She is very well known for her work across the nation. Every time she creates a new piece, she makes my mind go wild. In this piece, I've included a few pieces of coral and spiny oyster because these colors are very distinct in her weavings. I had fun creating this piece due to the amount of information it portrays and the feelings exuded while wearing it. |
| (04/19/09): Flora De Papier |  Flora De Papier - Paper Flower- A mixture of languages. French and Spanish. I recently started to study more of the French and Spanish languages. I am studying the connections by pronunciation between several languages. A lot of the research has uncovered a link due to contact between the cultures. I especially found the paper arts very unusual and intriguing. Not very often is paper worn. It is most used as a decorative material rather than a wearable material. I have also looked into paper arts on the same level as bronze sculptures. Paper is not given the credit it deserves as a viable, manipulative valuable media for wearable arts. It creates a tension that i find very beautiful. |
| (04/19/09): Aquarian Roots |  This is a very unexpected turn of events resulting in one of my best pieces featuring color. I was taking classes at the time of the creation of this pin. I wanted to explore the effects of texture underlying transparent enamels. I found that the colors change the affect that the texture exemplifies. Dark colores often subdued the textures and only revealed few details where as lighter colors unveiled many feelings of euphoria. Even the level/thickness of the enamel was affected on the surface depending on the thickness of the enamel applied. This piece was a sample of copper of which i punched a few discs from different textures. I then discovered it and made it wearable. It is very simple and blunt that it most often gets the compliments on a dark wool peacoat. |
| (04/19/09): Excavation of HIV |  I am fascinated in human anatomy and the effects of foreign viral interactiveness. The colors represented are taken from microscopic digital colorized images of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus. l have read more and more about the effects of the virus on the human immune system and begun to include more references in my work. in an odd sense, the irony of the beauty I find in the infecting virus boasts a tense presence. The ribbon is placed to create awareness with the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Understanding the virus more will and can subdue the negative stigma that surrounds this idea of dying shortly after diagnosis. I created this piece for those with HIV and AIDS. It is not a death sentence. It is a chronic illness. Though it is nothing to put aside, the feeling of being alone is what often kills a newly diagnosed patient. Technology and research goes forth and soon we will find a cure. |
| (01/26/09): Exciting New Shows | | Today, I was notified of my acceptance into two very intriguing show. I have been accepted by jury into the 51st Annual Heard Museum Guild Indian Fair & Market. It will be held March 7 & 8, 2009, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. The other show is the Native Treasures: Indian Arts Festival, Santa Fe’s only museum-quality Indian art show. This show will be held May 23 & 24th, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. This is an exciting time for me. I also have applied for the Southwest Association for Indian Arts' Annual Indian Market to held in August. Currently, with less than a month of prep time left, I'm working on a few new pieces. I am also collaborating with a fellow artist, Melissa Cody. She is a textile/weaving artist from Arizona. She is also of the Navajo tribe. We will be working together creating a few new wearable art pieces. These pieces will focus on a mutual muse, the spider, and water. Never has she created anything wearable as a hat, boots or mittens. We will focus on these three pieces to portray the importance of story telling during the winter. In the imagery, we will both create pictures and design not fairly typical of such ornamentation let alone Navajo artwork. We will also be using some exotic materials such as macaw feathers, white fox fur and Germantown wools. I have decided to reconfigure my budget upon the focus in these shows. With so little time between shows, I've got to focus upon the execution of these shows with the highest professionalism. I will also be applying for a few artist in residence programs that will include such locations as Japan and Alaska. Back to work, Craig Kelly. |
| (10/26/08): studio update. |  Hey all...sorry for not placing any new pic...here's one. This is a pic of my space in progress. I will have more pics upon completion. This space will showcase a few of my pieces for any sort of studio visits i will be hosting. Upon completion, I will update the space I've been given to CREATE. This is all so exciting!!! |
| (08/27/08): More images from Indian Market 2008 |  This hat is a fading icon in my culture. It is typically worn when hunting during the winter. The Navajo Warriors Society adopted this headdress as their symbol. |
| (08/27/08): More images from Indian Market 2008 |  This is belt i've created using a smoke tanned deer hide and a mixture of other media. This is a personal rendition of an old style concho belt. They were formerly created using a disc shaped piece of metal with two slits cut into the metal where a leather strap could slide through. Several pieces were added and a whole belt was assembled. The spider on this belt is a self representational icon. It is uncommon to see a belt with this much hide exposed as well as uncommon to see a belt of this nature using beadwork as a technique. |
| (08/25/08): Santa Fe Indian Market 2008 |  On the weekend of the 23rd and 24th of august, I participated in one of the worlds most renowned Indian Art shows. The Southwest Association for Indian Arts Annual Indian Market was exciting. This year, I was able to take part in the juried exhibition and silent auction. I donated my piece, "Just In Case", to the silent auction as a thank you to SWAIA for the chance to participate in the market. I was able to create a series of works that were inspired by Navajo jewelry concepts in a different media. The show was successful and i am now preparing to show in the Heard Museum Indian Art Market in March 2009. |
| (08/25/08): Santa Fe Indian Market 2008 |  As a result of my participation in the SWAIA market, I have been invited to show during the SWAIA Winter Showcase in November. My work is more personal in imagery and more colorful as a reflection of my passion for creativity. This is an image of a belt buckle i created as a self portrait. This piece was inspired by my research at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art when i viewed several pieces by Andy Warhol. |
| (06/30/08): San Francisco Museum of Modern Art |  I traveled this weekend to the Museum of Modern Art. I was able to experience view and articulate the works of Andy Warhol, Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, Constantine Brancusi, Jackson Pollack, Roy Lichtenstein and many many more masters of Art. I enjoyed exploring the Bay Area of San Francisco and participating in the San Francisco Pride Celebration for the GLBT community. This was a life altering experience I will forever be thankful for being able to experience. I am still in the process of updating my studio. I have also enrolled in a training program with the Eclipse Aviation Corporation and the Central New Mexico Community College to become an Aviation Manufacturing Technician. This training has also given me an inside look at the aviation industry and how it relates to my experience in metals. Having flown to San Francisco, I am interested in documenting my experience in aviation as a tech and passenger in fusing the perspectives in an eclectic approach to my work. I've collected a few items during my trip and I am ecstatic to begin executing a new line of designs. |
| (05/29/08): Fellowship Proposal Initiation | | I am very pleased to announce that i just just begun scheduling my trip to San Francisco for exposure to museum collections and various art forms of the bay area. I have begun my studio prep process and have begun installing my flooring. I will have pictures available upon completion. Also I have begun to create newly inspired works for the upcoming Santa Fe Indian Market. |
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