Cheryl Kelley
statement
1968 Camaro, 1970 Nova, 1965 Corvette, just the mention of these high performance
vehicles bring up the memories of many childhood experiences for me. Born
at the end of the sixties, I was fortunate to enter the world during the
formative years of the American Feminist movement. However, as I grew into
my love of the monster machines, so did my awareness that the muscle car
was the last bastion of young male dominance. These big engine cars, seemingly
fueled by raw testosterone, were ironically most definitely feminine in form.
As a twentieth century American icon, the muscle car is remembered for its
speed and power. My paintings are about the feminine sensuality of the surfaces,
the Mel Ramos-like perfection of female form. There is a subtlety involved
in presenting these images from a female perspective- a mystery that is captured
through abstraction. The reflections on the surfaces of the automobiles allow
the viewer to go deeper, to see something more than the form.
My work could be called photo - based realism. I work from photographs
that I take at car shows and museums. The images are manipulated and
become somewhat
more real in the painting than their photographic predecessor. I use oil
on canvas because I believe it is the most sensual of all mediums and
it allows
me the freedom to have varying techniques within my work. My brush strokes
range from very tight and smoothly blended to very loose and expressive
to create an illusion of openness and depth. My surfaces are smooth
and a high
gloss varnish is used to mimic the surface of a car. These works can appear
both photo realistic and gesturally abstract depending on the position
of the viewer which seems to me to be a perfect metaphor for the American
Dream in
all its complexity.