My love of paper and its suspicious delicacy developed alongside my love of the printed multiple. Originally trained as a printmaker, my work heavily focuses on the manipulation of patterned screen prints, various Japanese papers and large scale sheets of Tyvek. Using a utility knife as a pen, intertwined with obsessive mark making, creates the overall meditative practice of my papercut works.
My current works have been exploring the introduction of paper wearables and installations that mimic entrances to hidden worlds. Punctured surface textures, the playfulness of shadows and a simple color palette create a multi-layered, multi-dimensional conversation inside each of my paper creations.
With loose mental plans of each cut out, I welcome the spontaneous patterns that mimic a foreign, undiscovered world. Ephemeral in nature and material, my works allow for play on the subtlety of our everyday rituals and how quickly they evolve by our moment to moment decisions.
BIO:
Alicia Kelly was born and raised among the red dirt and wildflowers of Northeastern Oklahoma. Her love of the paper medium developed alongside her love of pattern making and the screenprinting process.
She has been an active member of The Paper Artist Collective since 2017. Alicia is a paper arts and serigraphy instructor at The Lawrence Arts Center and Van Go Inc. Alicia works out of her home studio and Seedco Studios in Lawrence, KS.
