Inside the Studio: Kelley Donnelly
Kelley Donnelly’s artwork is as layered as the life experiences that inspire it. With a mix of personal narrative, intricate texture, and poetic expression, her creations stand as testaments to resilience, vulnerability, and hope. Kelley’s journey—both in her art and in life—demonstrates how creativity can be a healing force, especially for those navigating mental health challenges and overcoming personal struggles. In this interview, Kelley opens up about her artistic process, the emotional undercurrents in her work, and her mission to combat stigma through art.
Read on to learn more in an exclusive interview with Kelley Donnelly :
1. You incorporate layers of text, poetry, and personal reflections into your pieces. How do you select the written elements that make their way into your work, and what kind of stories do you aim to tell through this textual layering?
When I am in the heart of a painting, and my direction is clear, I start perusing a variety of clippings I have found over the years, read through poetry books, and extract many words or phrases from songs. Oftentimes, this is also how I get an initial idea for a painting. Once the direction is clear, it's amazing how many elements surrounding me are relevant to the painting. I also do not finish it in one sitting, which allows me time to be mindful in my daily interactions and movements for additional components to be incorporated. The stories are always personal, yet seem to resonate with many people. I have engaged in a variety of groups that reflect some of the same personal struggles I am going through or have been through, which are often emotional and difficult. My aim is to create a painting that can inspire and motivate both me and others to work through it, ask for help, and get to the other side. This includes critically low self-esteem, addiction, chronic anxiety, overwhelming fear, and loneliness.
2. Nostalgia and storytelling are key components of your art. Can you share an instance where a specific memory or personal story directly influenced a piece you created? How did you translate that into your visual medium?
The painting "Exposed" was a culmination of some of the paintings I had created up to that point, dealing with the path I was attempting to trudge. Meaning, I so painfully hated myself, but knew, way deep down, that I not only was worth it, but knew art had to become a prominent part of my life. Art had been calling me since I was a small child, and over time the voice was getting exponentially louder. At the same time, I knew that I had such critically low self-esteem that in order to create art that meant something, I had to work on my art and my self-esteem (and the volumes of issues that included) at the same time. It was a huge task, but each second of each day, I kept working on both diligently. "Exposed" began with a picture of me in the center surrounded by all the words and phrases that meant something to me. It included negative self-talk, phrases and poetry that were poignant and relevant to the wounds I carry, terrible fear around "exposing" my art and mostly myself to the world. Eventually, I covered my face because it was the inside I was exposing and not my outside. My face didn't matter, but it was my feelings that people can relate to and connect with that really mattered. If you look really close, you can see one eyeball.
3. Your journey toward self-confidence in your artistic abilities is incredibly inspiring. How has overcoming personal challenges influenced the themes you explore in your art, particularly your focus on imperfection and resilience?
It was critical for me to work on how I thought of myself and how truly inferior I felt in every way possible, both artistically and personally. Without believing in my abilities and what I was capable of, there was not a chance of producing art that felt raw, real, and passionate. I had suppressed this desire to create my entire life, and it was finally pushing its way out. The reality is that I had to finally take the longest, hardest look at myself, take a deep dive, roll around in the muck starting from the beginning, look at how I was shaped, what I was led to believe about myself, how my various afflictions (especially addiction) played a huge part in that, and how all of it combined had a devastating impact on the course of my life. At the same time, I started painting as if paints and canvases were in very short supply. There was this frenetic energy to just paint until I was exhausted each and every day. I had also simultaneously made this commitment to myself in 2016 that I was going to commit to just painting for five years. I often bounced around in all creative endeavors only to quit within six months. But painting always called me back. Amazingly, I kept that commitment. I had never made a commitment like that to myself, and for the first time in my life, I felt a huge sense of pride. I kept going, as you can see, and it's the most amazing decision I have ever made. Simultaneously, I still had not quite reached a solid level of self-esteem that would make it possible to achieve the level of artistic endeavor I knew I desired. I knew resilience was a necessary skill one must acquire to make it past month one of putting my art into the world once I had determined I was ready. Without it, I would have closed up shop years ago. I was a sponge in all other areas of growing as an artist and as a person. In both worlds (art and my quest to be more confident and free from many ghosts of my past), I would listen to podcasts, pray, read books, meditate, listen to professionals, apply to shows, go to meetings of my peers, write in a journal, paint, paint, paint, call my AA sponsor, go to rehab, paint some more, force myself to be social, and the days rolled by. The subjects of the paintings were all intertwined in that journey. Paintings like "New You," "Metamorphosis," "World Is Waiting," and "DNA Lottery," plus many more, touched on my path and the struggle taking place. The art world can be brutal, and I am a bit more resilient now to that end. Now, both journeys are playing out in tandem, and they feed off of each other to complete this incredibly intricate and convoluted person. My art is no longer separate from me.
4. You’ve spoken about using art as a tool to spread hope and combat stigma, especially around mental health and addiction. How do you envision your art playing a role in creating a broader social impact in this area?
I love the idea of using art as a tool to not only spread awareness around mental health but to combat the stigma. I have had this idea for quite some time, and coincidentally, I recently met a doctor looking for artists using mental health as a subject. As I explained my idea, she mentioned she knew the director of NIDA (National Institute on Drug Addiction) and gave me her email. I want to create a campaign using the idea that those who deal with mental health issues have their own daily "vocabulary." Specifically, the canvases will be very large and contain a series of protrusions (using a thick polyfill paint) hollowed out in the center, each containing a letter of the alphabet. For each letter of the alphabet, the participant would find a word that is a.) a mental health issue, b.) a stigma they have experienced either socially or in the medical field, or c.) a side effect of one of their diagnoses. Eventually, it would morph into different types of creativity determined by the number of participants. The participants would also reveal who they are because it is about letting everyone know that these people are all around us in our daily lives. They may be friends, acquaintances, relatives, or partners, and they are often suffering in silence out of fear, stigma, isolation, and shame. I also want to make it safer for people to know that it can be talked about and there are people out here that really want to listen. To emphasize that they are not alone in their suffering and their diagnosis and do not have to move through it alone is something I feel is a critical element in reducing the stigma.
5. Mixed media is central to your practice. How do you approach combining different materials and textures, and what does the physical process of layering and building your pieces look like from start to finish?
I first approach a canvas by filling it with a variety of colors. Depending on what I have found or heard that has spurred the idea for the painting, the next element on the canvas appears. If it is from a song or poem, I will incorporate the text either by writing it in cursive (one of my favorites) or searching for fonts I have not seen before and free-handing them. I love using a variety of fonts without going overboard, depending on how important the text is. Some writing is a random phrase I heard, and I will frantically turn around and write it in huge, swoopy letters because it feels like that's what it necessitates. I often get asked what everything says, and I truly honestly don't always know. And I am not sure it always needs to be known. Then it becomes this exciting, fabulous puzzle. I never have all the elements in front of me, nor do I know all the words or phrases I am going to incorporate. I also like to sit with the idea a bit, and I often get flashes of ideas when I am the quietest (highly recommended). It then gets worked on in phases with a few cut-outs that are relevant, a small illustration I like to incorporate, words from a poem I have read, and phrases from a song I hear. I take it slow because I want it to fit together seamlessly, and that takes time. I can always paint over things I have done, but I don't personally like to do that.
6. Collaboration seems important to your future projects, especially in areas like mental health. How do you think partnerships with professionals from other fields could influence your artwork, and what kinds of collaborative opportunities excite you the most?
I love the idea of collaborating because it only serves to expand my experience, knowledge, and skills, and vice versa. In the outline above regarding the mental health idea, I find that exciting because the more people involved, the better it will be for the end goal. Especially in a field that necessitates an enormous amount of resources, experts, and those who have gone through this type of experience. Also, I recently collaborated with a friend who makes her own leather bags. I painted a series of designs (mostly flowers) on a few of her leather bags, and she will be bringing them to several of her upcoming fairs. I would also love to collaborate with a clothing company, as I have created many designs on a series of clothing pieces. I absolutely love the idea of spreading a good, positive message by placing it on clothes, hats, etc., in a funky and exciting way. The bottom line is, my abilities in certain areas are limited, so the idea of coming together with those who have those skills and expertise is wonderful. They are just as passionate about their pursuits as I am, and the energy and motivation that is emitted in this process is palpable.
7. As someone who has navigated both the highs and lows of a creative career, what advice would you give to emerging artists who are struggling with self-doubt or feeling overwhelmed by external comparisons?
Comparison is one of the number one killers of motivation and hope for an artist. I desperately try to limit the amount of time on Instagram looking at other artists. However, one can learn a lot by looking at other artists. It is a careful balance one must tread lightly. At first, just try to paint until your fingers turn blue. Paint a lot, paint them ugly, paint them nice, paint them blindfolded, paint them when you don't feel like it. JUST PAINT. Eventually, a style will start to emerge (patience). Try to do this before you obsessively look at other artists because, like me, I bounced off of other artists looking for my style. It never worked. Not only was I clueless about what I wanted to paint, everything was truly terrible. Nothing came together. It was not until I dug into all the dark and scary places existing within, spent time there, that I began to know and understand who I was and what I was meant to create. But it can be a long, painful process. You have to stick with it no matter what. You have to keep going because if you do, you will be ahead of the thousands/millions of artists who compared themselves one time too many and gave up thinking they will never "have it." It's not true. One other fact of life in general: your mind lies to you constantly. It tells us a litany of falsehoods that we believe without questioning the source. Soon, these messages about ourselves, and how we are no good and neither is our art, become our default language. Once you come to terms with this fact and understand that it has a lot of power, only then can you learn to combat it. It takes patience and time, just like finding your style. Also, if you feel a general sense of not being good enough, art aside, please do yourself an incredible favor and find out why and destroy it. It's absolutely not true, and I can say that in all earnest, regardless of us never meeting. Most likely, other people have been the source of this ghastly voice that incessantly reminds you of how terrible you are as a person, how terrible you are as an artist, and that you will never be successful. Try to incorporate positive things on a daily basis that lift you up and remind you how great you truly are. Fake it until you make it and don't look up. If you can achieve that, I can guarantee you your art journey might be slightly less painful. Either way, NOT giving up on yourself and your art will feel incredible. And remember, they work in tandem.
Kelley Donnelly’s journey is a testament to the healing and transformative power of art. From exploring self-worth to addressing societal stigma around mental health, her work resonates on both a personal and universal level. Her willingness to be vulnerable, coupled with her commitment to helping others, has shaped a body of work that speaks to resilience, hope, and connection. We can’t wait to see what new layers Kelley will add to her creative journey in the future.
You can learn more about Kelley Donnelly and her work via these links:
Website: https://www.kelleydonnelly.com/
Instagram: @kdmax44
Saatchi Art: @Kelley Donnelly
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