Patrick Kelly is a solid gentleman, a hard worker who is rarely home and always in his studio. I took interest in his drawings the moment I saw them. Several questions arose when looking at the photographs of Kelly's work; the application and process were puzzling to me. He calls them Carbon Traces... drawing thousands of curved lines one after another, producing dense fields and shapes with the use of graphite pencils. I gave him a visit in his Portland studio to see his drawings firsthand and to talk with him about his practice, as well as his involvement in the up-coming group show, “Drawing the Slight Uneasy,” curated by MK Guth.


Q_ How or why did you start drawing like this? What was your inspiration?
A _ This series of drawings started about a year ago.  One of the inspirations is the black monolith from 2001 A Space Odyssey, which is characterized by reflecting and absorbing light, never revealing its true definition.  I wanted to create something that would achieve the same effect.  At the time I also wanted to work in a primitive manner. It does not get simpler than pencil and paper.

Q _ An average drawing takes how long, start to finish?
A _ The time table for each drawing is fuzzy at best, but usually about a month.

Q _ How big are the drawings you are currently working?
A _ The recent drawings are 48"x65".

Q_ Carbon traces... is there a relationship between your drawings and your sculpture, density, process, physicality, etc.?
A _ Most of the work I do is repetitive and laborious.

Q_ What's on the come up? Where are you taking this?
A _ There are a few elements of these drawings that I want to explore to see what they will create, but I am cagey about developing works.

Q _ Art crush?
A _ Lee Bul, Roxy Paine, Bruce Nauman

Q _Do you find your work or process satisfying, or more rewarding?
A _ My working process is quite relaxing.  These drawings become meditative and I often lose a sense of time, exorbitant time.  Ultimately, I am visually excited throughout the entire working process to the finished image.  So, I would say rewarding.

Q _ What are you listing to?
A _ A lot of Talk Radio and The Flaming Lips, Embryonic. Also an iphone app called Bloom.

Q _What do you drink?
A _ Black Boss Porter

Q_ Why the fuck Portland?
A _ Just took a chance!

Patrick was born in Massachusetts and spent the majority of his life in North Carolina. He received his MFA in 2005 from George Washington University in Washington D.C. He has lived in Portland for three years.  You can see his drawings at Worksound on April 2nd as part of the curated exhibition, "Drawing the Slight Uneasy."

“Drawing the Slight Uneasy”
curated by MK Guth
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Bill Adams
Nicolaii Dornstauder
Patrick Kelly
Tania Cross
Michael Lee
Nicole Eriko Smith
Lynn Yarn
Frank Parrga