Kelly Courtney 

FLUIDIKON (flōōĭd-ī'-kŏn), n.

 1. Artwork consisting of a wire sculpture, usually a one continuous line, often attached to a painting or collage.

2. The art of Kelly Courtney.

 What started out as doodles from philosophy class, developed into more cohesive drawings that use only one continuous line. After hearing repeatedly that I needed to work in a larger scale, I turned to wire to bring my drawings to life. Listening to the material was the key to understanding what the wire would and would not do. Once the method of attaching the wire to the painting surface was achieved, I was able to realize my dream of a unique art form. I call my wire paintings: FLUIDIKONS. A line that tells a story, relates a message, sends a prayer. The empty spaces in the wire sculpture are gaps for the viewer’s mind to fill.

My work arises from a need to visualize and document my spiritual journey combined with an inherent need to use my hands. It stems from a love of nature, mixed media, found objects, automatic drawing, and the interplay of color with various textures and media. Every object, from a chair to a thumbtack, has multiple layers of meaning, subtext, and history inherent to the object, each with its own vibration. Sharing the connection between the object and the viewer, a positive energy transmission is possible.

After spending two introspective and fulfilling years as a Benedictine monk after college, I discerned that although I could stay and be content, my journey must lead elsewhere and that I needed to cut my own path. It was living alone for the first time in St. Louis that really propelled my art production. My first showing came in a juried group show for Art St. Louis. I had my first solo art show at the Vault Gallery in the Midtown Arts Center called, "Spiritual Surrealism". Other solo shows include the beautiful library gallery at St. Meinrad, IN, the Spiritual Art Gallery in Inspirations, Louisville, KY, and Gallery 331 in Mishawaka, IN. Some recent group shows were in Indianapolis, IN at the Healing Arts Indy and in Chicago, IL at the Peter Jones Gallery, Museum of Contemporary Art, and Lincoln Park Art Fair; and with Manual Productions and the Edgewater Arts Group. My art is available through galleries in Illinois such as the Leigh Gallery, as well as in Indiana, Michigan and Kentucky.

After a nightmarish 2 year episode of going underground and infiltrating the KKK in northern Indiana for the purposes of diffusing, obfuscating, and information collection, I have finally arrived at my long awaited home base of Chicago, where art is in full swing and a memoir is soon to come.

This piece takes on new dimension in light of an actual nazi book burning taking place in the Twin Cities the day after this show opens.