Tim Kelly resides in the Baltimore area, where he was born and raised. His interest in art started in his sophomore year at Brooklyn Park High School. He earned his B.A. in 1992 from Maryland Institute, College of Art, where he was an illustration major.  A freelance career followed during which time Kelly illustrated books and audios, limited edition prints, stamps and portraiture. About 10 years ago, family responsibilities led to a career change - CDL driving! After a couple of years' lull in artistic pursuits, Tim's interest was revived by plein air and direct painting. Freed from the demands of art directors and deadlines, Tim's output in recent years has been the highest of his life so far.

Artist's Statement: At some point in virtually all grade school art classes, the "draw a shoe" assignment comes around. It's easy to discern which kids have genuine talent after this assignment. It's the kids whose drawings of a shoe look most like a shoe. In my artistic pursuits and interests, I've never strayed too far from that commitment observational fidelity.

My intent is to get it right - the color, the drawing and proportions, and the overall essence of whatever it is I am documenting. There is no flight of fancy, no pursuit of the poetic, no emoting. All of those things, if they exist in my work, are incidental to the simple goal of painting what I see.

Another more recent artistic ideal is that of directness. I seek out an unfiltered and direct portrayal of a selected scene. Editing is dictated by the constraints of time and the limitations of my abilities. None of us can match mother nature. There are thousands of bits of information in everything we look at. Part of my artistic process is determining and recording the most important of these bits, because I can't possibly record all. My lack of perfection, serendipitously, leaves something to the imagination of the viewer. An appealing painting can result.

The third concern I carry is an exploration of my chosen medium, oil paint. It's a constant learning process, with a seemingly endless array of applications. I want viewers to know they are looking at a painting. Clearly, this is a "journey is more important than the destination" endeavor.

Straightforward and direct - just trying to get it right.

Gallery note: He seems to have gotten it right. Tim swept the Solomons Plein Air Festival in 2014, placing first in the Quick Draw Competition and also receiving "Best of Show" in the main competition.