Jess Kelly is an Irish-Mexican artist best known for her luxurious metallic fine art pieces. Building movement through layering and texture, her work has been featured in some of the most exclusive private homes, Michelin-star restaurants and five-star hotels around Europe.
The last thing I saw and loved… recently I was away in Dubai and went to an immersive and multi-sensory art gallery experience called Arte Museum. It was amazing.
The book I keep coming back to… is Manifest by Roxie Nafousi. I’ve read this so many times and always go back to pull-out sections to go back over. I strongly believe in the power of manifesting and visualisation. It’s been a huge inspiration for my journey as an artist.
I find inspiration… mostly in architecture and interior design! I love the raw textures of stonework in particular – marble, concrete, granite etc. I also love nature’s soft, muted colours, that aren’t too loud or overpowering.
My favourite film is… The Pursuit of Happyness. I’m a sucker for a feel-good true story, I’m such a dreamer so I love movies that have a bit of a Cinderella narrative.
My career highlight is… making my very first sale. I remember posting a painting I did on my personal socials and someone messaging me asking me if it was for sale – I’m not going to lie, I said yes and figured it out later! I remember thinking ‘wow, someone wants to actually buy my art and they’re not a family member!’
The song I listen to get in the zone is… Lana Del Ray’s “Say Yes to Heaven” just instantly soothes me. I feel like I’m always on the go so when I hit the studio, I’m forced to take a breath and slow down. This song puts me right in that headspace.
The last book I recommended is… a book called Before You Sleep by Benji Bennett. It’s a gorgeous, heartwarming children’s book. I’ve repurchased it so many times over the years.
I never leave the house without… the kids! And my phone – at this stage, it’s doubling up as my wallet, phone, laptop, camera, baby toy…
The performance I still think about is… the Rockettes Christmas Spectacular in Radio City Hall. The show gives you maximum Christmas feels!
My dream client would be… Reese Witherspoon. Her home is stunning but I also feel like she could be your best friend. I would personally fly over and hand deliver it to her!
The best advice I’ve ever gotten is… to celebrate the small wins. I love this because when we have goals, we are so focused on the big end goal, but the goalpost will always move and you can get lost in the journey if you forget to stop, take a moment and celebrate the little wins along the way.
The art that means the most to me is… my kid’s art. The fridge is a revolving gallery, there’s everything from smudgy hand prints to a superhero body with my son’s head on it to self-portraits on it. We have folders of artwork from the kids over the years!
My favourite thing about being an artist is… I could write a thesis on this feeling! I love that I can’t do literally anything else but focus on my artwork when I’m painting; I can’t be on my phone, distracted etc., so it’s a form of meditation and mindfulness or even silent therapy! I’m totally chilled in the studio, listening to Spotify and getting lost in the process.
If I wasn’t an artist, I would be… in marketing or another creative career. Most of my career has been in marketing.
The magic of art to me is… it can be absolutely anything, it isn’t black and white, and there is no right or wrong. There’s so much freedom and beauty in that.
Photography by Jess Kelly, jesskellyart.ie.
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