San Francisco-based artist Kelly Tunstall works in acrylic, collage, spray paint, pencil, pen and ink, gold leaf and some secret sauce.
She frequently works together with her husband Ferris and primarily creates figurative art that tells a story with a movie aesthetic and characters that are full of inspiration, imagination, and vibrant life. These stories aim to reflect the viewer's inner conversation and create a happy feeling.
Her experimental yet classically grounded works live somewhat comfortably in a space between graphic expression, stylized representation, surrealism, and sketch. Her use of patina as an aging element and calligraphic drawing methods lend further depth to her story-filled worlds.
Kelly works closely with clients to come up with specific ideas for commissioned pieces. She calls it "a very personal process," resulting in a highly unique piece tailored to it's setting and intended to stoke the viewer's imagination. The simplicity of the messages is enhanced by the underlying vitality and complex layering within the work. In her portraits, Tunstall renders stylized female figures and their adaptations to environment: nests built of painted boards held together by drawn nails or far-off planets. The physical form and its accompanying exterior become a mirror for internal thought processes and turmoil.
