Lea Kelley is a pioneer of the modern art movement referred to as Abstract Expansionism in which the artist initiates the work with a symbolic self portrait and expands, through layers of painting until the work finds a universal meaning. Her work can be found in collections throughout the United States, Europe, and the Middle East.

Kelley’s evocative abstract paintings incorporate archetypal symbolism and color, facilitating a deep interaction with the observer’s personal, internal response to the subconscious perception. Kelley’s paintings are generally multi-layered in a process of emotional exploration and symbolic attributes beneath the surface of each piece. Over the decades Kelley has created these richly textured emotional landscapes on various media: from wood, hand made paper and recycled card board to her present format on large canvas using acrylic, gold, and gold leaf.

Kelley studied at the Academy of Art in San Francisco. She also studied independently within the inspired association and guidance of other contemporary artists. Her world travels and exploration of many cultures has contributed to the depth and significance of her work. Her passion for art history, mythology and symbolic color inspires an inquiry into the significance of meaning.

Artist Statement: In my work through abstract expansionism I begin alone, with myself as the subject, reflecting on an immediate subjective experience or impression with which I am contending in the moment. I paint an image of myself on the canvas. This image may be a self portrait or a symbolic expression, incorporating my individual circumstances. I then paint layers over my own image (or experiential symbol) with colors or shapes to represent my experience in a more metaphoric sense —which allows others to enter my canvas or thought process through interactive symbols that may transcend my own limited references into an expansion of meaning. I continue painting in layers, adding deliberation and visual dialogue in the form of universally experienced symbols such as color, shape, line, or even numbers that evoke a collaborative response through common association or mutual agreement of meaning. These, archetypal symbols, references, and representations are derived from my exposure to various cultures, philosophies, and subjects that unite human beings in collectively shared significance.

I am finished with my painting when it has departed from my self into a work that transcends my own existence in the realm of meaning for those around me, the larger collective of existence that continues as consciousness