Kelley Somer: Limited Edition Prints

Signed and numbered prints
/ soy ink on recycled heavy paper / print, 12x12", $60. / framed (white mat, black stained solid wood frame) 23x23", $120.
credit cards accepted

Pears for Ten

Stacked

Pears for One

Table Manners

The Art of Dining

I am inspired by the process of creating a meal, the energy and devotion that goes into the life-sustaining act of eating, the joyful experience of dining with friends and family. I delight in these experiences. They are restorative. I entertain often, and when not hosting, can still be found in the kitchen with my husband and our children, engaged in meal prep, love and laughter.

To harness the inspiration, I photograph simple items on their way to becoming something much more complex. I capture the foods, the floral arrangements, the chairs, the table. I record the anticipation expressed in the stacks of plates, glassware, and silverware, each waiting to fulfill their purpose. I record the compositions that arise on my cutting board, and the glass my husband and I share while we cook together.

Pinned across my studio wall, these images echo our quiet dinners, our celebrations, and our laughter filled parties. They remind me to let each day be filled with incredible food and rich relationships. They remind me to live fully. And they lead me to paint.

I approach painting with equal enthusiasm. I begin with building cradled wood panels; they have the feel of a contemporary serving dish or chopping block. I use the highest grade of rich, buttery oil paints for their ability to spread thickly across my panel. I apply the paint with palette knives rather than brushes because I love to carve and sculpt the paint, layering colors yet not quite mixing. I varnish it all in a high gloss, to enhance the juicy glimmer. The result is spontaneous and fresh. Delicious.

It is beautiful in its simplicity: To eat is to nourish the body. To dine with others is to nourish the soul.

This inspiration has led me to the art of dining.

EXHIBITIONS

2011
AmericanStyle Magazine
Winter 2010-2011 edition
“Up Close and Personal”
Emerging Artists of the Year
Solo Exhibit, Loge Gallery
April 29 – May 14
Salt Lake City, UT
July 2-4
Cherry Creek Art Festival
Denver, CO

July 29-31
Bellevue Art Museum Artfair
Bellevue, WA
August 12-14
invited award winner
Sun Valley Art Festival, ID

2010

May

Art in the Square
Belleville, IL

Evolutionary Health Care Gallery
Salt Lake City, UT

July
Cherry Creek Arts Festival
Denver, CO

August

**Awarded "Best in Painting"

Sun Valley Center Arts Festival

Ketchum, ID

September

Sausalito Arts Festival

Sausalito, CA

2009
Utah Arts Festival
Salt Lake City, UT

Main Street Festival
Breckenridge, CO

Sausalito Arts Festival
Sausalito, CA

Kelley Somer

Limited Edition Prints

CONTACT

The Art of Dining

EXHIBITIONS

PATH TO FINE ARTIST

PUBLICATIONS