Mollie Keller
By trade and training I am a historian.
By inclination and intention I am an artist.
On some clear days I can see the connection. In both endeavors I search for pattern and meaning in chaos. I rely on a strong line and vivid color to bring the work to life. And I aim to make something engaging, coherent, and satisfying.
Born during the reign of Abstract Expressionism, educated at MOMA and the Met, inspired by Joan Mitchell and Hans Memling, I am still balancing a desire for order and detail with a passion for big messy splashes of delicious color. My real work is to figure out how to achieve both.
Since my recent liberation from a job and care giving, I have been freeing my expression as well. Landscapes and botanicals have yielded to larger gestures and stronger colors. Recently I have been playing with calligraphy, exploding and rearranging words, investigating the essence of each stroke of a letter, and wondering about the possibilities of black and white.
When I first took up drawing and painting, I was told by several teachers that my work was painterly. Although in the class context I understood that this was not necessarily a good thing, it is, ultimately, what I want to be.
Painterly.
Email: kellermol@gmail.com
Into Great Silence, Ink, 4 x 6"
Dear John, Ink, 10 x 13
Autumn Grid, Watercolor, 4.5 x 9"
Palabra, Water soluble oil on canvas, 12 x 18"