Key Largo Art Gallery has been around for more than 20 years and started from the idea of art as a community.
Art is something that is a collaboration, and the gallery understands that by having more than 20 artists displaying their work. One of the artists who run the gallery is Tere Kelley, who grew up in the Florida Keys. Her work is fun, whimsical, environmental and surreal. It is hard to see her work and not have a smile or sense of wonder.
A native Floridian who grew up on the water, Kelley was surrounded by artists and scientists throughout her life. Kelley’s uncle was the head of the Florida Institute of Oceanography. Some of her earliest memories are sitting on oceanographic research vessels and being immersed in that environment.
“Well, I’ve always had a penchant towards art,” Kelley said. “I don’t know if it’s just because I’ve been surrounded by artists my entire life. I’m sure that has influenced me greatly. But I’m also a daydreamer and, since I can remember, craved the freedom that the creative thought process provides.
“There are endless possibilities in art and I like to translate that to canvas as well as in daily life,” she continued. “The creative thought process fosters and generates multiple avenues of problem solving.”
The nautical influence increased when her mother, Carmen Kelley, earned her marine science degree. While she loves living here, she has to admit that the Keys have perhaps gotten “a little too big for our britches.”
“The sense of community and how easily everyone comes together to help or provide in times of need — the collective heartbeat of the Keys community has prevailed and continues to. That is what makes this place paradise,” she said.
Most artists who’ve been around don’t paint the same consistently. They usually work on different series and have different periods in their career. Like most artists, Kelley’s art is an interesting mix that depends on her moods. The artwork has a natural whimsy. She paints fanciful pieces with bright colors.
Kelley paints mostly in acrylics, but does work with multiple media. She also likes to upcycle and bring found objects into her work. Some of these works are her environmental pieces that show the darker side of how humans hurt the environment. Her creations include hermit crabs and shorebirds traversing trash-strewn seaweed, or a juxtaposition of a beautiful vase filled with items that typically litter shorelines. Perhaps the best way to describe the art is provocative.
Kelley says she is inspired by a large list of artists and historical figures, including Norman Rockwell, Roy Lichtenstein, Salvador Dali, Edward Hopper, Van Gogh, Andy Warhol, Giuseppe Verde, Frida Kahlo and Georgia O’Keeffe. She is also inspired by numerous art movements: Renaissance, baroque, romanticism, realism, impressionism, expressionism, pop art and surrealism.
“Years ago, I started painting sardine cans. The first one I did can be seen on one of Mangrove Mike’s T-shirts – a sardine can filled with mahi mahi. They are hilarious and so much fun to paint. Not to mention I can fill them with anything,” she said. “I have cans filled with everything from octopuses to tourists to iguanas and grasshoppers. Whenever I’m in a bit of a creativity slump, I paint a sardine can and it gets my creative juices flowing again.”
Her art speaks for itself. The overall message is: Do what you enjoy and enjoy what you do. She loves to create, and she has so much fun enjoying what she does.
“I’ve found that people are more drawn to my work because they can sense the joy and thought behind it, oftentimes more so than the subject matter itself,” she said.
Kelley is tickled that her patrons love and support her art. She welcomes people who visit the gallery from all over the place who happened to see one of her pieces online.
“My heart swells at the thought that something I created brings that sort of joy. If you love it, buy it. It does not have to match your couch or your drapes or your grandma’s quilt. It only has to match you,” she said.
Kelley’s work can be found at the Key Largo Art Gallery, 103200 Overseas Highway, but you can also purchase select printed versions of her work through her Threadless and TeePublic accounts.
