Cheryl Kelley is an American painter known for her

photorealism Photorealism is a genre of art that encompasses painting, drawing and other graphic media, in which an artist studies a photograph and then attempts to reproduce the image as realistically as possible in another medium. Although the term can b ...

, especially her paintings of

classic A classic is an outstanding example of a particular style; something of Masterpiece, lasting worth or with a timeless quality; of the first or Literary merit, highest quality, class, or rank – something that Exemplification, exemplifies its ...

and

muscle car A muscle car is an American-made two-door sports coupe with a powerful engine, marketed for its performance. In 1949, General Motors introduced its 88 with the company's OHV Rocket V8 engine, which was previously available only in its lux ...

s. Her work has been featured on the cover of ''Harper's Magazine'' and can be seen at the Scott Richards Contemporary Art gallery in

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, the Bernarducci·Meisel Gallery in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

, and the Seven Bridges Foundation in

Greenwich Greenwich ( , , ) is an List of areas of London, area in south-east London, England, within the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Greater London, east-south-east of Charing Cross. Greenwich is notable for its maritime hi ...

Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...

. In 2009 and 2011 she was a finalist for the

Hunting Art Prize The Hunting Art Prize is awarded annually to an artist for excellence in drawing and painting. The prize of $50,000, sponsored by Hunting plc, was established in the United Kingdom in 1981 and was mostly awarded to British artists before relocating ...

, and in 2012 she received a

Pollock-Krasner Foundation The Pollock-Krasner Foundation was established in 1985 for the purpose of providing funding to visual artists internationally to further their artistic practices. It was established at the bequest of Lee Krasner, who was an American abstract expr ...

grant. The art collectors' resource

Artsy Artsy, formally known as Art.sy Inc is a New York City based online art brokerage. Its main business is developing and hosting website for numerous galleries as well as selling art for them. It utilizes a search engine and database to draw conne ...

considers her one of ten "Masters of Photorealism".

Style

Kelley began her career as an

abstract expressionist Abstract expressionism in the United States emerged as a distinct art movement in the aftermath of World War II and gained mainstream acceptance in the 1950s, a shift from the American social realism of the 1930s influenced by the Great Depressi ...

but is recognized chiefly as a

photorealist Photorealism is a genre of art that encompasses painting, drawing and other graphic media, in which an artist studies a photograph and then attempts to reproduce the image as realistically as possible in another Medium (arts), medium. Although ...

or hyperrealist. In 2003, she began to make paintings of cars using oil on canvas, saying she was drawn by the abstract quality of reflections off the cars' curved surfaces. Around 2008, she began to use oil on aluminum panels. Like traditional photorealists, Kelley bases her paintings on photographs, in this case taken mostly at car shows and automobile museums. However, her technique does not rely strictly on the "mechanical" transfer of photographic images to canvas.

Technique

Much of the commentary on Kelley's work centers on her use of cars as subjects. Her low angles of perspective and emphasis on "sensuous curves and luscious surfaces" are seen as representing a feminine, sexualized take on a conventionally masculine area of interest. By "portray nghigh-powered muscle cars as seductive objects of desire," she "brings a uniquely female perspective to these objects that are almost synonymous with youthful bad-boy hyper-masculinity."

Have you ever seen a car so sexy that you wanted to run your hands all over it, maybe even stretch out luxuriously on the hood? .... Along with pinup and boudoir photography, the dominion of male artists over car art is being left in the dust. While Robert Bechtle paints photorealistic automobiles in their natural, middle-class habitats, Kelley takes them out of context, removing their utilitarian role and elevating them to works of art, freeing her to infuse them with hyperrealistic detail.

Observers state that her works resemble high-definition photographs, but that the images shown in reflection actually make the paintings seem "more realistic than their photographic references."

Recognition

Kelley gained public attention in 2009 as a finalist for the

. In August 2009, her work was featured on the cover of ''

Harper's Magazine ''Harper's Magazine'' is a monthly magazine of literature, politics, culture, finance, and the arts. Launched in New York City in June 1850, it is the oldest continuously published monthly magazine in the United States. ''Harper's Magazine'' has ...

''. Shortly afterward, her work was chosen by

Frank Bernarducci Frank Bernarducci (born September 23, 1959) is a New York City art dealer and curator. He is currently the owner of Bernarducci Gallery, located at 525 West 25th Street in New York, NY. Bernarducci began exhibiting Graffiti art in the 1980s in t ...

, a leading authority on photorealism, for exhibition at the Bernarducci·Meisel Gallery, which he co-founded with Louis K. Meisel.

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

gallery Jonathan Novak Contemporary Art includes her among a group of "revered and influential" photorealists, including John Baeder,

Robert Bechtle Robert Alan Bechtle (May 14, 1932 – September 24, 2020) was an American Painting, painter, printmaker, and educator. He lived nearly all his life in the San Francisco Bay Area and whose art was centered on scenes from everyday local life. His p ...

Charles Bell Sir Charles Bell (12 November 177428 April 1842) was a Scottish surgeon, anatomist, physiologist, neurologist, artist, and philosophical theologian. He is noted for discovering the difference between sensory nerves and motor nerves in the ...

, Robert Cottingham,

Richard Estes Richard Estes (born May 14, 1932, in Kewanee, Illinois) is an American artist, best known for his photorealist paintings. The paintings generally consist of reflective, clean, and inanimate city and geometric landscapes. He is regarded as one of ...

Gus Heinze Gus Heinze (born May 1, 1926 in Bremen, Germany) is an American photorealist painter. Early work From 1947-1950, Heinze studied under Robert Weaver, Howard Trafton, and Robert Ward Johnson at the School of Visual Arts and the Art Students League ...

Ralph Goings Ralph Goings (May 9, 1928 – September 4, 2016) was an American Painting, painter closely associated with the Photorealism movement of the late 1960s and early 1970s. He was best known for his highly detailed paintings of hamburger stands, pick- ...

, Daniel Green, and Elizabeth Patterson. In 2013,

included her on its list of ten "Masters of Photorealism," along with founding photorealists

and Robert Cottingham. Beyond the art world, fans of classic and muscle cars admire Kelley's paintings for capturing the aesthetic experience of viewing classic cars, both as art objects and in the context of auto shows. Automotive writer Aaron Miller dubbed her "the most photo-realistic automotive artist in America," while

Rosecrans Baldwin Rosecrans Baldwin (born March 30, 1977) is an American novelist, essayist and nonfiction author. He is also a co-founder and editor of ''The Morning News (online magazine), The Morning News'', an online magazine. Born in Chicago, Illinois and rai ...

has said she "is the best thing that ever happened to car shows."

Her recent work gets the sex appeal right but also nails the grandeur of auto shows, where some of the world’s fastest objects sit still under lights.

Her technique and her subject matter have inspired numerous tributes from fans impressed by the photorealism of her paintings as well as the apparent incongruity of a "lady who ... paints super awesome cars."

Cheryl Kelley likes to paint hyper-realistic portraits of vintage muscle cars. This Texas based artist uses high-gloss oil paints to recreate Detroit iron with photographic precision. The result is uncanny and cool. Cheryl draws her subject matter inspiration from hanging out at car shows. I ask you, can a girl get any cooler than this?

Personal life

Cheryl Kelley was born in

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

in 1968. She graduated from the

High School for the Performing and Visual Arts Kinder High School for the Performing and Visual Arts (Kinder HSPVA, HSPVA or PVA) is a secondary school located at 790 Austin Street in the downtown district of Houston, Texas. The school is a part of the Houston Independent School District ...

in Houston in 1987 and attended the

University of Houston The University of Houston (; ) is a Public university, public research university in Houston, Texas, United States. It was established in 1927 as Houston Junior College, a coeducational institution and one of multiple junior colleges formed in ...

. She now lives in

Santa Fe, New Mexico Santa Fe ( ; , literal translation, lit. "Holy Faith") is the capital city, capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico, and the county seat of Santa Fe County. With over 89,000 residents, Santa Fe is the List of municipalities in New Mexico, fourt ...

Noted exhibitions

Solo exhibitions

2015 Seven Bridges Foundation,

, CT 2013 "Cheryl Kelley: Detailed," Samek Art Gallery,

Bucknell University Bucknell University is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal-arts college in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1846 as the University at Lewisburg, it now consists of the College of Arts a ...

, Lewisburg, PA

Group exhibitions

2016 "Land Escapes," Joshua Liner Gallery, New York, NY 2015 "Stainless Steel: A Group Exhibition of Reflective Works in 3 Dimensions," Bernarducci·Meisel Gallery, New York, NY 2015 "The Art of Collecting," Flint Institute of Arts, Flint, MI 2014 "Everybody Needs a Hero!" Scott Richards Contemporary Art, San Francisco, CA 2014 "Winter White," Bernarducci·Meisel Gallery, New York, NY 2014 "Photorealism in a Digital Age II" Bernarducci·Meisel Gallery, New York, NY 2014 "Photorealism: The Everyday Illuminated" Jonathan Novak Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, CA 2013 "Summer Sights: A Gallery Survey Exhibition," Bernarducci·Meisel Gallery, New York, NY 2013 “Photorealism Revisited,” Oklahoma City Museum of Art, Oklahoma City, OK 2010 "Drive," David Klein Gallery, Birmingham, MI 2013 “Route 66,” Skidmore Contemporary Art, Santa Monica, CA 2009 "Photorealism: A Closer Look," Scott Richards Contemporary Art, San Francisco, CA 2009 “Endless Summer Exhibition,” Lyons Weir Gallery, New York, NY 2008 “Fotofest,” New Gallery, Houston, TX 2008 "Summer Salon: Works on Paper" Lyons Wier Ortt Contemporary Art, New York, NY 2007 "High and Dry Smoke and Fog" Phantom Galleries LA Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, CA 2007 Bridge Art Fair, Art Murmur Gallery, Miami, FL 2007 Lyons Wier Ortt, New York, NY 2005 Auto Show, The Arts Center of the Capital Region, Troy, NY 2003 "Celebration of Contemporary Art," The Woodlands Resort and Conference Center, The Woodlands, TX 2001 "Sultry," Houston Community College, Houston, TX

Noted collections

Pesterer Contemporary Fine Art,

Zurich Zurich (; ) is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich. , the municipality had 448,664 inhabitants. The ...

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

The Seavest Collection of Contemporary Realism, New York, NY, USA The Seven Bridges Foundation, Greenwich, CT, USA Howard A. Tullman, Chicago, IL, USA

Awards

2012

Grant 2011 Finalist,

2009 Finalist,

Work featured in

2013 "Roadster Reflections." ''American Art Collector,'' edited by Joshua Rose, Issue #89. March. 2012 ''Nob Hill Gazette'', Front Cover. June. 2010 "Metal Beauty." ''American Art Collector,'' edited by Joshua Rose, Issue #61. November. 2009 “Heavy Metal.” ''American Art Collector,'' edited by Joshua Rose, Issue #47. September. 2009 "Illustration: ''Cadillac'' (detail)," ''Harper's Magazine'', Front Cover. August. 2008 ''Oranges & Sardines: Summer 2008'', by David Krump, Andy Nicholson, Meghan Punschke, and Didi Melendez.

CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform On-Demand Publishing, LLC, doing business as CreateSpace, was a self-publishing service owned by Amazon. The company was founded in 2000 in South Carolina as BookSurge and was acquired by Amazon in 2005. CreateSpace published books containing ...

. 2008 ''New American Paintings: Juried Exhibitions in Print'', Western Edition, Issue #78. Juror: Andrea Karnes, Curator,

Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth (widely referred to as The Modern) is an art museum of post-World War II art in Fort Worth, Texas with a collection of international modern and contemporary art. Founded in 1892, The Modern is located in the c ...

Fort Worth Fort Worth is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Tarrant County, Texas, Tarrant County, covering nearly into Denton County, Texas, Denton, Johnson County, Texas, Johnson, Parker County, Texas, Parker, and Wise County, Te ...

, TX. 2005 ''New American Paintings: Juried Exhibitions in Print'', Western Edition, Issue #60. Juror: Fereshteh Daftari, Former Curator,

The Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. MoMA's collection spans the late 19th century to the present, and includes over 200,000 works of arc ...

, NY.

References

External links

Video

"Cheryl Kelley Paints" on YouTube

Madeline Rinehart interviews Cheryl Kelley on "Hart to Heart" webcast

Oklahoma City Museum of Art interviews Cheryl Kelley

Fan collections

* Fan video
Автомобили от художницы Cheryl Kelley. Гиперреалистично [Cars by artist Cheryl Kelley. Hyperrealism
/nowiki>]
Realistic Old Polished Cars Paintings (NOT PHOTOGRAPHS!!!)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kelley, Cheryl 1968 births Living people 21st-century American painters Painters from Texas University of Houston alumni Artists from Houston Photorealist artists 20th-century American women painters 20th-century American painters 21st-century American women painters High School for the Performing and Visual Arts alumni