Gary Kelley, illustrator extraordinaire, passed away yesterday. I had the pleasure of meeting Gary in my younger years, and later interviewed him for my column about him ("The Artist Who Paints Music" in The Saturday Evening Post).
Gary was a remarkable talent, and was recognized by his peers as such. Artist Greg Manchess said, "My own career was set afire by his influence and guidance. He is a North Star in my life as an artist." Gary was awarded 28 gold and silver medals from the Society of Illustrators and was elected to the Society's Hall of Fame in 2007. There are tributes popping up from many people who knew him better and are better qualified to speak than I. But I wanted to share one reason (among many) why I admired him.
Gary understood when to hang on and when to keep moving. When other illustrators were relocating for their work, moving to urban areas where artists and clients congregate and dressing differently, Gary resolved to remain in small town Iowa here he enjoyed the quality of life. He believed that he could build a thriving career living where he wanted, and he was right.
The cool thing was that living in Cedar Falls, Iowa (not far from Wild Horse Ridge in Black Hawk County) didn't constrain Gary's ability to come up with the most sophisticated, gritty noir illustrations of urban scenes or allegorical pictures of the cosmos.
He was not just painting folksy pictures of the corner barber shop. His imagination was unbounded.
Gary stubbornly remained in Cedar Falls, yet when the traditional illustration field began changing, he was nimble about pulling up stakes and moving on. As illustrated magazines began drying up, Kelley created huge murals and wrote and illustrated graphic novels and painted pictures that were projected above a symphony orchestra as they played classical music.
He was welcomed in all these venues because he was recognized everywhere as a picture maker to be taken seriously.
Gary Kelley, a man who knew how to separate the wheat from the chaff, will be sorely missed.
10 comments:
The train car noir is a good example of visual poetics. Kelley's distorted the shadows of the blinds to get his metaphoric effect. And the effect is so effective, one only notices the extent of the distortion afterwards, and forgives it. Because, after all, the piece had plainly revealed itself as a fiction at the outset; nobody was tricked.
Kelley's classic noir mural in Barnes & Noble went a long way toward classing up that joint (a corporate warehouse full of cheaply made mass market products LARPing as a cultural center); effectively evoking the bygone romance of witty writerly grit overtop their in-house Starbucks clone.
Kelley had a long career with high standards when lots of others were lowering theirs. Wish we had more like him today. JSL
I took a class with him at the Illustration Academy. Not only was he talented, he was the nicest guy in the world. I'm sorry he's gone.
If you have a moment, could you share what you remember of his teaching?
He really had a great style. Very recognizable and one I think most people recognized and enjoyed, even if they didn't know his name. For a guy living in a small town in Iowa, his work looks very much influenced by European illustrators. His death leaves a vacancy that probably can't be filled.
~ FV
Gary was the nicest guy and an undeniably powerful artistic and articulate force. A totally unassuming individual that connected with students at the Illustration Academy on a deep level.
Like Chris Payne, Gary’s tracing paper demos on picture construction were absolutely brilliant.
Gary could pick up a burnt stick, or dip a leaf in ink and make beautiful art, instantly recognizable as coming from his hand.
So much fun to be with, so much humor and laughter, and sincere human connection. A real loss.
David, is it possible to speak with you? I think my info for you is no longer current but would very much like to connect. Hope you’re well!
The post above was me. Sorry.
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Link to a 1990 Step By Step Graphics article on Gary Kelley's process: https://archive.org/details/step-by-step-graphics-vol-6-no-6/page/40/mode/2up
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