Kelly Breedlove

Gardening At Night, 2023

Photo based Mixed Media - Image Transfer, Acrylic, Ink and Graphite on Panel

48 x 36 inches

Courtesy of the artist

www.kellybreedlove.com, @BreedloveArtist

My work deals with themes of memory, change, loss and isolation stemming from early familial relationships. My work is photo based, but I am not a photographer. I begin by choosing photos I connect with on a visceral level, photos that resonate with me from my core. These are usually personal family photos, but not always. Sometimes they are of strangers, but the activities or emotions depicted in the photos always resonate with me deeply, and usually connect to my childhood in some way or another. Through my selection and handling of each photograph, I try to explore and uncover the true emotion, "my truth", in what is depicted on photo paper at that moment in time. Oftentimes the scene depicted doesn't match the true emotional undercurrent present in the situation. I use mark making techniques to shift the visual focus, evoke certain moods, reveal hidden meaning and help me connect on a deeper level with the subject matter in the photo. My mark making may take the form of sloppy splashes of paint, collaging of material elements, adjustments in photoshop and the physical deconstruction and deterioration of the photo itself. I do this all in an effort to discover and convey the photo from my point of view.