BIO
I began my artistic journey as a painter and illustrator and eventually found myself transitioning to a career as a graphic artist. I’ve been fortunate to operate my own freelance design business for over 25 years in the Austin area. In the last decade, I’ve been able to transition back to pursuits in fine art. While my aesthetic tendencies have not shifted significantly over the years, my medium of choice has changed quite a bit. I was able to tap into my unique skillset as a longtime graphics professional to create an original technique that synthesizes the artistry of both design and photography. In late 2008, I created my very first digital composition using my own photos and Adobe Creative Suite. I quickly realized that the possibilities were endless and ten years later I am still chasing that elusive vision of the perfect image. Today I call myself a digital artist. Of course, this means eating the words of my 20-year-old self: “I will never create art on a computer”. Let’s face it, the world has changed; the rules have changed and I can live with that.
Leslie is honored to have been included in the 2012, 2014, 2015 and 2019 People’s Gallery at Austin City Hall. She has participated in dozens of exhibits over the last couple of years, including several shows featuring digital art. She was awarded first place in the 2019 Re-Imagine Juried Exhibit in photography and won an honorable mention in the Round Rock Arts BIG Show in 2018. She also created custom artwork that was featured on the cover of the Georgetown Arts and Cultural Guide two years in a row. She has had an active exhibit schedule in 2019, including a solo exhibit at the Elisabet Ney Museum for FotoATX 2019. Currently, her works can be found hanging in various venues and juried shows around the state as well as in galleries where she is represented.
Leslie lives in the Austin area with her husband of over 30 years, her loyal dog Frida and two cats.
ARTIST STATEMENT
The space between reality and illusion is where the magic happens. It’s in that moment when they slide into each other and produce an otherness, a sublime encounter.
Time is on Our Side, In-Between Collection
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My artwork is created using an original technique that synthesizes the artistry of design and photography. I work with architectural and natural forms to create surreal environments in which my photos are assembled into the spaces and patterns of my designs. The complex and layered works are visual encounters that push the bounds of vision and reveal a place you might not recognize—but somehow, have been waiting to visit. My photography is captured at every opportunity and selected based on a theme, location, color and texture. As the imagery interacts to create the highlights, shadows and contours of the new image, it also offers deeper discoveries within the composition. Because each piece may use up to a dozen photographs, there is always something new to encounter. I often use recurring themes of water, light and reflection to capture that instant of sensation when these elements slide into each other. I find the shimmering images and ephemeral changes of light to be a powerful reminder of the fleeting nature of our visions. My art is optimistic and celebrates beauty while revealing a fresh glimpse into a new world. When people stand before my work uttering surprising exclamations and discover the images that wait in the sub-layers, I feel that I’ve been successful in creating an experience. It’s meant to be a captivating and sublime encounter that will be hard to leave behind... the realization of “the more you look, the more you see”.
lesliekell.com
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THE OTHER SIDE COLLECTION The Other Side Collection features partially submerged pyramids. These pieces are as much about the seen as the unseen. Perhaps they can remind us that things are not always as they appear on the surface.
I Asked Myself, The Other Side Collection
In a Strange Game, The Other Side Collection
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IN-BETWEEN COLLECTION “... your art takes us in places that are like time. It feels like memories, but of something we might not actually be able to remember. Quite astonishing!” —VC
Vistas provide a vantage point that highlights the relationship of our own presence in space with the mysteries of a far-off horizon. The sensation of our unique memories and experiences layered with possibilities of the unseen is dizzying. These images seek the shadowed realities that can not be seen until we reach the apex and look back, revealing the echoes of lifetimes playing across the topography. It’s in the space that lies in-between that we find where we belong.
Come Along, In-Between Collection
Growing Day by Day, In-Between Collection
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MYSTIC COLLECTION “Working with more than a dozen layers of digital images, Austin artist Leslie Kell, creates an intense feeling and a visual memory unlike any other art form with her highly expressive works.” –VV
Feel the Sky, Mystic Collection
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One More Dream, Mystic Collection, (Artist Master)
lesliekell.com
INFINITY COLLECTION Mazes and mirrors captivate my surrealist side and drive the design concept of these illusionary pieces. The collection is optimistic and celebrates wonder while creating an encounter that reveals a fresh glimpse into a new world of endless possibilities.
Paradise Waits, Infinity Collection
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lesliekell.com
CREATIVE PROCESS “Inspiration comes in many forms. Sometimes you see it coming, like the day I stepped into a Hall of Mirrors in San Antonio”.
The creation of an image begins in the sketchbook and is developed into a line drawing. Images are selected to fill the spaces. Photos are based not only on theme, subject matter, and location, but also for color, texture, value, and design. Most of the photos for “Into the Sun” were captured in Alaska.
As the images are layered and combined into the spaces of the drawing and the process progresses, the image begins to emerge.
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Into the Sun, Infinity Collection (Artist Master)
lesliekell.com
ARTIST MASTERS
A selection of my images are transformed into “Artist Masters�. Each Artist Master is an original, one-of-a-kind creation. An archival canvas is printed and hand-stretched, then paint and textural elements are added. The piece is finished with enhanced framing that is custom designed for each individual artwork. All works come with
In a Place of Mirrors, Mystic Collection, (Artist Master)
a signed Certificate of Authenticity.
Spring from Night, Infinity Collection, (Artist Master)
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“Kell’s working the sort of high-level graphic wizardry that’s impressive in and of itself, even when it doesn’t result in – as it so often does, in this exhibition – in exquisite beauty.” –Austin Chronicle
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CUSTOM PRINTS
My images are highly flexible and can be adapted to provide unique options for collectors ranging from museum quality oneof-a-kind Artist Masters to limited-edition prints on fine art paper to open editions on metal, canvas and more. I offer virtual hangings to my collectors and clients so we can work together to fill the space just right. All prints are produced with archival museumgrade materials, hand signed and include a Certificate of Authenticity.
lesliekell.com/custom
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Feel the Sky, Mystic Collection Custom triptych on canvas.
CINEMAGRAPHS
I’ve set some of my mesmerizing images in motion in videos. The vibrancy and energy of the ethereal images will activate your imagination and inspire a metaphysical awe. Many of them can be found in the gate areas of the Austin Bergstrom International Airport.
Learn more at lesliekell. com on the StudioNotes page. View the collection on YouTube/kellcreative
lesliekell.com
DIFFERENT WORLDS FOTOATX FotoATX is an annual month-long celebration showcasing Austin photographers in libraries, galleries, and community centers across the city. In this solo exhibition, presented by the Elisabet Ney Museum, I created a custom triptych centerpiece that mirrors the museum’s rich history and honors the vibrant spirits that fill the space. The installation offered a view that can only be experienced by stepping into this different world.
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lesliekell.com
CV
EDUCATION Bachelor of Science in Art , 1986, Texas A&M Commerce
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS 2020
re[IMAGINE] – Round Rock Arts – juried exhibit “Critters: Our Animal World” – Georgetown Art Works – juried exhibit WEST Austin Studio Tour, guest at Blue Genie Austin Bergstrom International Airport – digital displays – public art
2019 “Floating Points” – Georgetown Art Center – curated group show “Art of Celebration” Art for the People Gallery, Austin TX – juried exhibit 2019 People’s Gallery Exhibition at Austin City Hall, Austin, TX – juried exhibit 2019 Round Rock Arts Interlude, An Art Exhibit – juried exhibit 2019 re[IMAGINE] – juried exhibit – Awarded 1st Place – Photography WEST Austin Studio Tour, Blue Genie Big Top “Adventure, Fantasy, & Fun”, Art for the People Gallery, Austin TX – juried exhibit “Creative Currents”, Link & Pin Art Space – 3 person show Special Exhibit – Invitational Group Show “Prismatics” – featured artist at Art Connections FotoATX, Elisabet Ney Museum – solo exhibit Laura Bush Community Library, Austin TX – 3 person show 2019 Red Dot Art Spree and Exhibition – Invitational Group Show 2019 Art Hop Juried Exhibit Jackson Hole Fine Art Fair – represented by Steidel Fine Art Austin Bergstrom International Airport – digital displays – public art Bruegger ’s Bagels, Austin TX – solo exhibit TownLake YMCA , Austin TX – solo exhibit Tiny Art of Texas, 218 Coop Gallery East Austin Studio Tour – Cement Loop 22
2018 “Dulce Bytes”, Kerr Arts and Cultural Center, Curated Group Show “Sense of Place”, Cultivate 7twelve, Waco TX , Invitational Group Show “Elsewhere”, Link & Pin Art Space - June 2018 – 3 Person Show Round Rock Arts BIG show – Awarded Honorable Mention September: D3: Electric Dreams, Austin Bergstrom International Airport – 3 Person Show November: D3: Pixelscapes, Gallery at the J – 3 Person Sho w
2017 “How Did They Do That?”, Gallery at the J – Invitational Group Show Mixed Media Group Show – Lost Pines Art Center, Bastrop, TX West Austin Studio Tour Art at the Y, Townlake YMCA , Austin, TX – Solo The Big Show – Texas State University, Round Rock Arts – Juried show “Elsewhere”, North Hills Gallery, Austin, TX – 3 Person Show
2016 Georgetown Arts and Cultural Guide 2016–17 – Cover art Electron Salon, L ACDA , Los Angeles – Invitational Group Show 2016 Art Hop Competition, Georgetown Art Center, Georgetown Bombay Sapphire Artisan Series, semi-finalist , Art on 5th Gallery Third Coast National, K Space Contemporary, Corpus Christi – National Juried show “Pixels & Patina” - Link & Pin Art Space – 2 Person show “Behind the Seen” - Kerr Arts and Cultural Center, Kerrville – 2 Person show “Collective Dimensions: The Space Within”, Old Bakery & Emporium, Austin – 3 Person show
2015
2011
2015 People’s Gallery at Austin City Hall, Austin, TX – Juried show Gallery Georgetown 2015 featured art , Arts and Culture Guide cover The Vineyard at Florence – Solo show Light Space & Time Online Gallery, 5th Annual “CityScapes” Old Bakery and Emporium Art Gallery – 2 Person show 3rd National, K Space Contemporary – National Juried show Georgetown Art Hop Juried Exhibition – National Juried show Dougherty Arts Center, Austin, TX – Solo show
Featured Artist , Studio 2 gallery, Austin, TX Vino 100, Round Rock , TX – Solo show North Hills Gallery, Austin, TX – Solo show Jung Center, Houston TX – Solo show Art Across the Americas - National Juried Exhibition, UT AVAA Members Show • Austin Art Space • Austin, TX EAST (East Austin Studio Tour) – Real Gallery Origin Magazine Art Show – Quattro Gallery
2014 2014 People’s Gallery at Austin City Hall, Austin, TX Dougherty Arts Center – Free Expressions Juried Show “Between Space & Time” - Link & Pin, Austin – 2 Person show North Hills Gallery – Creative Arts Society Juried Show 2014 Third Coast National Juried Show, Corpus Christi, TX Wildfire, Georgetown, TX – Solo show “The Mirror Effect ” St . David’s, Austin TX – Solo show 2014 People’s Gallery at Austin City Hall, Austin, TX Round Rock Arts: IMAGINE Juried Show Austin-Bergstrom International Airport – Gate Area Posters
2013 ArtList .com – People’s Choice Award Manhattan Arts Int . “Healing Power of Art ” Exhibition 2013 AVAA WEST show, Austin, TX – Invitational group show Live Oak Art Center 2013 Juried Exhibition, Columbus, TX Dougherty Arts Center, Austin TX – Juried show Gallery by Jeana Marino, Austin ,TX – Invitational group show
2012 2012 People’s Gallery at Austin City Hall – Juried show Scarbrough Building, Austin, TX – Solo show AVA A 35th Anniversary Show, Austin, TX – Juried show Luminaria, San Antonio, TX – performance collaboration Art on the Roof, Austin TX – Invitational group show Summer Eclectica – Phoenix Trade Depot
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2010 Fair Bean Coffee, Real Gallery, Austin, TX – Solo show Scarbrough Building Lobby, Austin – Solo show Live Oak Art Center 2010 Juried Exhibition, Columbus, TX “Rhythms of Nature” Juried Exhibition, studio2gallery, Austin MSC Forsyth Center Galleries, Bryan TX “For the Love of Art”, Walker ’s Gallery, San Marcos, TX Haven Gallery, Austin, TX
2009 Central Market Cafe, Westgate – Solo show Live Oak Art Center 2009 Juried Exhibition, Columbus,TX “Digital Diversity ” Juried Open 2009, Topanga Canyon Gallery “Organic: Basic Inspiration” Juried Exhibition, studio2gallery SNAP TO GRID: Los Angeles Center for Digital Art , L .A ., CA
HONORS and AWARDS 2019 re[IMAGINE] – juried exhibit – “I Was Learning to See” Awarded First Place, Photography Round Rock Arts BIG show – “ What Have I Done?” Awarded Honorable Mention Dougherty Arts Center – Free Expressions Juried Show – Awarded Best of Show North Hills Gallery – Creative Arts Society Juried Show – Awarded Best of Show Light Space & Time Online Gallery, 5th Annual “CityScapes” Art Exhibition, Special Merit Award The ArtList .com People Choice Winner – March 2013 Old Bakery Emporium Art Gallery Juried Show, Juror HONOR ABLE MENTION: Live Oak Art Center 2009 Juried Exhibition, Columbus, TX
CONNECT
LeslieKell.com
leslie@lesliekell.com
Leslie Kell Fine Art
@lesliekell
Looking for Somewhere, Mystic Collection
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