Oh, how we love a studio sneak peek! And the studio of Fairhope, Alabama artist Kelley Ogburn is so so special. We have admired Kelley's work for many years now and at long last she finally joining the Well + Wonder ranks as an artist. Kelley's work is loose and gestural and her embodiement of female figures have us wanting to wallpaper our hallways with these beauties. We want all of the Kelley Ogburn that we can get our hands on! Well lucky us, Wednesday is Kelley's big day and we have LOTS (count 'em 31!) paintings and smaller studies that will soon be hanging in our collection. If you are anything like us, you like to get excited for the introduction of a new Well + Wonder artist. Well we are here today to be your hype girls! Kelley was kind to indulge us in answering our rapid-fire question when we took a stroll through her studio. Her space and her answers left us so inspired and have us counting down the days until Wednesday! Take a peek inside Kelley's studio and feel a little bit her magic in our latest blog post Pardon Me, Kelley Ogburn. Then save that date! Wednesday at 12 pm EST can't come quick enough.
What is currently on your nightstand?
Paper and my favorite pencil, a small plastic glow worm from when I was a child (probably from a McDonalds happy meal!), and a beautiful ceramic catch-all made by my friend Mollie Robinson
Who is your biggest influence as an artist and why?
This is a hard one. So many people have influenced and encouraged me on this path. But if I have to pick just one, I would say my high school art teacher, Beth Compton. She taught me how to embrace my own marks, and, most importantly (and one I still struggle with!), to know when to stop. That is, to know when the work is complete.
Tell us about your childhood. What is the most memorable moment as a young person?
I grew up in a small house across the street from a big park in a neighborhood full of kids. I loved being outside and getting dirty. And I’ve always loved doing stuff with my hands. And climbing trees. I remember one day after a big storm, the park across the street was completely flooded. After school that day, my friend and I ran over to the park (school uniforms on and all) and slid in those puddles until we were just covered in mud. It was so much fun. When we were finished, we hosed off outside, and I remember that the pocket to my school shirt was completely filled with dirt. It made me laugh. Probably not the most memorable moment, but a good memory anyway!
If you could only have one supply in your art studio, what would it be and why?
Golden high flow acrylic in indigo. No question. I panic when I get low. Nothing else does the trick and I have to order it. Can’t just run to the store and grab it. And I’m a run to the store and grab it when I run out of it kind of person.
What is your favorite room in your house? Describe it.
What I like to call “the morning room.” It’s a small room at the front of the house off of the kitchen with a large window and a beautiful view. One wall is this funky orange brick that was original to our 1955 home. The other wall houses a flax linen covered loveseat with bookshelves on each end. The bookshelves were handmade from old doors that I found with the original pressed glass panes still intact. In front of the window sits a pair of rust colored chairs with a wooden (estate sale find) table in between. My son’s telescope sits on the table and my grandmother’s brass floor lamp behind one chair. The TV is on the wall across from the sofa and it sits on a mahogany chest that my husband’s family gave to us as a wedding gift. It is a cozy room where the kids hang out after school, play games do homework. Where I have my weekend coffee in the mornings. Where we all can relax.
What is your biggest score online?
Golden high flow acrylic in indigo. I may have a bit of a problem.
What is the benefit of buying art through a collective? What do you recommend for those that are new to buying original art?
The benefit of buying art through a collective is confidence in the piece of art that you are purchasing. A collective is curated. It’s a chosen group of individual artists that have consistently produced quality work. You can’t go wrong. Oh, and buy what you love. It doesn’t have to match the couch. If you love it, it will always bring you joy. And that’s what art is truly about!
If you have the entire day to spend in an art museum, which one and why?
Seriously with the hard questions! I can’t. I just can’t. There are waaaay too many from which to choose. But, there are 2 sculptures I could just sit and stare at all day. 1- The Winged Victory of Samothrace at the Louvre, and 2- Michelangelo’s Pieta in St. Peter’s Basilica. I’m forever grateful that I was able to see these two pieces in person. One painting that I have always wanted to see, and still hope to at some point, is Picasso’s Old Fisherman. It’s in Monistrol de Montserrat, Spain in the Santa Maria de Monserrat Abbey.
What is your favorite hotel and what makes it special?
Well, it’s not too far from home, but The Grand Hotel in Point Clear. It’s literally a 15/20 minute drive from our house, but we still spend weekends there. The pool and the service, for one. The bike and sailboat rentals at the bay, for another. And our kids really like the lawn games that are found throughout the grounds. There is also a pond where you can feed the ducks. But my favorite is the cannon. At 4 o’clock, every day, they honor the military and fire the old civil war canon over the bay. High tea and cookies follow immediately after. It’s just a neat place.
If you were a lipstick color would you be red, pink, or clear and why?
Probably clear. What you see is what you get with me!
I can never get on a plane without….
My book.
How did you get into the world of art?
I have no idea. I don’t think it was one singular thing. I think I always knew, deep down, that this is what I wanted. I’ve just kept taking steps, big or small, in that direction, and have had some amazing people guide me and encourage me all along the way.
What do you do to relax?
Play board games with my kids when we are all home. Or wander around antique and consignment shops if I’m alone.
When do you get the biggest surge of inspiration?
Right before a deadline!
Prediction for the Color of 2023?
Lavender or olive green
What is your idea of a date night? Dinner and a movie or dancing all night?
Dancing!
Tell us about your favorite painting that you have created.
My paintings are my babies. I don’t have a favorite. But, like my children, I do tend to favor the ones that need my help the most. The ones that I am struggling with. I will say it is a wonderful feeling when that painting finally comes together and is complete. I can feel all of the layers and struggles that got it to that moment. That, I like.
One piece of advice for buying original art?
Just do it! Buy what YOU love. Buy beautiful pieces that speak to you. And get some weird stuff too.
