Born 08/02/55, Magnolia, Arkansas
Lives and works in Seattle WA
EDUCATION
1979-81 University of Arizona, Tucson AZ
1974-77 University of Georgia, Athens GA (BFA, Summa Cum Laude)
1973-74 Birmingham-Southern College, Birmingham AL
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2009
"painting", Howard House, Seattle WA
2008
"Future Perfect", Howard House, Seattle WA
2005
"Babble", Pulliam-Deffenbaugh Gallery, Portland OR
2004
Howard House, Seattle WA
2001
"Crush", Pulliam-Deffenbaugh Gallery, Portland OR
"Skinyard", Mark Moore Gallery, Santa Monica CA
"Flash", Littlejohn Contemporary, New York NY
2000
"Metalmouth", Howard House, Seattle WA
1999
"Fluid Abstraction: Paintings", Sun Valley Center for the Arts, Sun Valley ID
1998
Lisa Sette Gallery, Scottsdale AZ
Meyerson & Nowinski Art Associates, Seattle WA
Pulliam-Deffenbaugh Gallery, Portland OR
Littlejohn Contemporary, New York NY
1997
Mark Moore Gallery, Santa Monica CA
1996
Pulliam-Deffenbaugh Gallery, Portland CA
"Blitz", Greg Kucera Gallery, Seattle WA
1995
Littlejohn Contemporary, New York NY
Viking Union Gallery, Western Washington University, Bellingham WA
Mark Moore Gallery, Santa Monica CA
Lisa Sette Gallery, Scottsdale AZ
1994
Pulliam-Deffenbaugh Gallery, Portland OR
Greg Kucera Gallery, Seattle WA
1993
Stephen Wirtz Gallery, San Francisco CA
Mark Moore Gallery, Santa Monica CA
Littlejohn-Sternau Gallery, New York NY
Pulliam-Deffenbaugh Gallery, Portland OR
1992
Greg Kucera Gallery, Seattle WA
1991
Greg Kucera Gallery, Seattle WA
1989
Henry Art Gallery, University of Washington, Seattle WA
Cliff Michel Gallery, Seattle WA
1987
Cliff Michel Gallery, Seattle WA
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2011
"Dealer's Choice: 50th Anniversary Group Exhibition", Woodside-Braseth Gallery, Seattle WA
2010
"David French & Ken Kelly", Pulliam Gallery, Portland OR
"Meet Greet Rinse Repeat--Troy Gua and the Collaborati", Monarch Gallery, Seattle WA
"NW Mid-career Artists--Seattle Public Utilities Portable Works",
Seattle Municipal Tower Gallery, Seattle WA
"A Continuing Cultural Legacy: Selections from the Safeco Collection",
The Wright Exhibition Space, Seattle WA
2008
Pulliam-Deffenbaugh Gallery, Portland OR
2007
"18 Painters", Visual Arts Gallery, Mt. Hood Community College, Gresham OR
2005
"Patterned Thought, Thoughtful Pattern", Seattle Design Center, Seattle WA
2001
"Ken Kelly, David Sharpe, James Schrosbree", Ron Judish Fine Art, Denver CO
2000
"Painting, American Style", Mark Moore Gallery, Santa Monica CA
1999
"Air Hockey", Howard House, Seattle WA
"Pushing Paint", Guggenheim Gallery, Chapman University, Orange CA
1998
"Drawings...Second Annual Bi-Coastal Invitational",
Meyerson & Nowinski Art Associates, Seattle WA
"Pattern", AirTouch Cellular One, Bellevue WA
1997
"Drawings...An Annual Bi-Coastal Invitational",
Meyerson & Nowinski Art Associates, Seattle WA
"Human References: Marks of the Artist", Seattle Center Pavilion, Seattle WA
"Safeco Collects: Northwest Art 1976-1997", Jundt Art Museum,
Gonzaga University, Spokane WA
"Unpacking the Collection" 70 Years of Collecting at the Henry",
Henry Art Gallery, University of Washington, Seattle WA
1996
"A Collective Endeavor" Artfair Seattle 1992-1995", Seafirst Gallery, Seattle WA
"Ten Year Anniversary Exhibition", Lisa Sette Gallery, Scottsdale AZ
"Microsoft Artwalk 12: Print Exhibition", Microsoft Corporation, Redmond WA
"Recent Northwest Acquisitions", Seattle Art Museum, Seattle WA
"Tacoma Collects", Tacoma Art Museum, Tacoma WA
1995
"Washington: 100 Years, 100 Paintings", Bellevue Art Museum, Bellevue WA
"New Talent", Alpha Gallery, Boston MA
"The Traditional Impulse", Greg Kucera Gallery, Seattle WA
1994
"Year One: A Survey", Mark Moore Gallery, Santa Monica WA
"Radcliffe Bailey, Nate Fors, Ken Kelly, Emilio Tori", David Beitzel Gallery, New York NY
"Painters", Lisa Sette Gallery, Scottsdale AZ
"Passion", Linda Ferris Gallery, Seattle WA
1993
"Botanic", Sean Elwood Fine Arts, Seattle WA
Littlejohn-Sternau Gallery, New York NY
"Second Annual Small Works Exhibition", Lisa Sette Gallery, Scottsdale AZ
"The Art of Microsoft", Henry Art Gallery, University of Washington, Seattle WA
1992
"The Betty Bowen Legacy: Fourteen Years of Award Winning Art",
Security Pacific Bank Gallery, Seattle WA
"Recent Acquisitions/New Inventory", Greg Kucera Gallery, Seattle WA
Pulliam Deffenbaugh Nugent Gallery, Portland OR
1990
Galleria Potatohead, Seattle WA
1989
"Northwest Annual", Center on Contemporary Art, Seattle WA
"Bumberbiennale: Decade of Abstraction 1979-1989", Seattle Center Pavilion, Seattle WA
1988
"Underexposed Seattle", Spokane Art School, Spokane WA
"Northwest Juried Art '88", Cheney Cowles Museum, Spokane WA
1987
"Inaugural Exhibition", Cliff Michel Gallery, Seattle WA
"The Hillclimb Show", Pike Place Hillclimb, Seattle WA
"Painting and Sculpture '87", Tacoma Art Museum, Tacoma WA
1986
"Northwest Impressions: Works on Paper", Henry Art Gallery,
University of Washington, Seattle WA
"15th Avenue Studio", Henry Art Gallery, University of Washington, Seattle WA
1985
"Neo York/Seattle", Center on Contemporary Art, Seattle WA
1984
"South of the Border", Western Front Gallery, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
1983
"5 Walls/5 Painters", 911 Contemporary Arts Center, Seattle WA
AWARDS AND GRANTS
2010
Artist-in-Residence, Jentel Foundation, Banner WY
Neddy Award Finalist, Behnke Foundation, Seattle WA
2009
Merit Award for Excellence, PONCHO
2008
Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant
2001
Neddy Award Finalist, Behnke Foundation, Seattle WA
Residency Fellowship, Vermont Studio Center, Johnson VT
1999
Artist-in-Residence, Aurobora Press, San Francisco CA
1997
"Seattle Artists 1997", Seattle Arts Commission Award, Seattle WA
1992
Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant
"Seattle Artists 1992", Seattle Arts Commission Award, Seattle WA
Visiting Artist, Pilchuck Glass School, Stanwood WA
Best-in-Show Award, 3rd Annual Juried Show, Kirkland Arts Center, Kirkland WA
1989
Betty Bowen Award, Seattle Art Museum, Seattle WA
1988
Spokane Arts Commission Award, "Northwest Juried Art 1988", Cheney Cowles Museum, Spokane WA
"Seattle Artists 1988", Seattle Arts Commission Award, Seattle WA
1977
Ford Foundation Undergraduate Grant (also 1976)
SELECTED COLLECTIONS
Gallatin Cascade, Inc.
Heller, Ehrman, White & McAulliffe, Seattle WA
Henry Art Gallery, University of Washington, Seattle WA
Hillis, Clark, Martin & Peterson, Seattle WA
Microsoft Corporation, Redmond WA
Nordstrom Corporation
Orange County Museum of Contemporary Art
Perkins-Coie, Seattle WA
Portland Art Museum, Portland OR
Princess Cruise Lines, New York NY
Raja Investments, Boise ID
Safeco Insurance Collection, Seattle WA
Seattle Art Museum
Seattle City Light Portable Works Collection
Tacoma Art Museum, Tacoma WA
University of Arizona Art Museum, Tucson AZ
University of Washington Medical Center, Seattle WA
Vulcan, Inc., Seattle WA
Whatcom Museum, Bellingham WA
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Adamson, Loch. "Art: Making Waves: Ken Kelly, Greg Kucera Gallery."
The Seattle Weekly, April 20, 1994.
____. "Visceral Sightings: Natural Geometries", Reflex, November/December, 1992.
Albiani, Rebecca. "Ken Kelly at Howard House", Artweek, Vol. 31, Issue 5, May, 2000.
Allan, Lois. Contemporary Art in the Northwest,
University of Toronto Press: Ontario, Canada, 1995.
Carlsson, Jae. "Figure vs. Ground: Ken Kelly at Cliff Michel", Reflex, July/August, 1989.
Clemens, Gayle. "Falling in Love With Intimacy of Painting",
The Seattle Times, February 19, 2008.
Darling, Michael. "Thinned-Out, Pared-Down, Rescaled",
ArtWeek, Vol 24, Issue 19, October, 1993.
Demetre, Jim. "Ken Kelly at Howard House", Artdish (online), January 28, 2008.
DeVouno, Frances. "Ken Kelly", ArtNews, March 1993, pp. 120-121.
____. "Ken Kelly at Howard House", Artweek, Vol. 35, Issue 7, September, 2004.
Glowen, Ron. "Expansions and Abstractions", Visions, Summer, 1991.
Graves, Jen. "Mysterious Broadcasts", The Stranger (online), January 24, 2008.
Hackett, Regina. "Paintings Featured in Arts Center Exhibit",
Seattle Post-Intelligencer, December 21, 1983.
____. "Show Taps Town's Top Talent", Seattle Post-Intelligencer, March 6, 1987.
____. "Exhibits Offer Welcome Relief to Gallery-Goers Tired of Good Taste",
Seattle Post-Intelligencer, December 8, 1987.
____. "Kelly's Paintings Speak for Themselves", Seattle Post-Intelligencer, May 17, 1989.
____. "An Eye for Orbs: Kelly Paints Pop Abstractions",
Seattle Post-Intelligencer, February 16, 1991.
____. "Four Gallery Exhibits Highlight the Strengths in Northwest Diversity",
Seattle Post-Intelligencer, October 14, 1992.
____. "Artist Explores the Aging of Cheap Charm", Seattle Post-Intelligencer, April 14, 1995.
____. "Looking Beyond Seattle's Glass", Art & Antiques, September, 1996.
____. "Painters at Different Stages of Their Careers Show Strong in Three Exhibits",
Seattle Post-Intelligencer, February 7, 2008.
Johnson, Holly. "Ken Kelly's Blobs Billow Before Your Eyes",
The Oregonian, October 25, 1994.
Kandel, Susan. "Kelly's Pattern of Multileveled Intent",
Los Angeles Times, March 24, 1995.
Kangas, Matthew. "Handmade Art Thrives in the Age of Cold Technology",
The Seattle Weekly, December 16, 1987.
____. "Ken Kelly at Cliff Michel", Art in America, December, 1989.
McLerran, Jennifer. "On the Scene: Seattle and Vancouver", Artspace, March/April, 1993.
McTaggart, Tom. "Tracking the Winners", Reflex, January/February, 1993.
Petry, Michael. Abstract Eroticism, Academy Editions, London, England.
____. Hidden Histories: 20th Century Male Same-Sex Lovers in the Visual Arts,
Artmedia Press, London, England.
Sellars, Beth. "Human References: Marks of the Artist", (catalog),
Seattle Center Pavilion, Seattle WA.
Smallwood, Lyn. "Vigorous Abstraction", The Seattle Weekly, May, 1989.
____. "Greg Kucera: Ken Kelly", The Seattle Weekly, February 13, 1991.
Stapen, Nancy. "New Talent at Alpha Gallery", The Boston Globe, June 22, 1995.
Updike, Robin. "Art of New Shows Pays Homage to History, Biology, Poetry",
The Seattle Times, March 14, 1996.
Weinstein, Joel. "Seattle Artist Deft With Shapes, Color", The Oregonian, April 9, 1993.