I have been exhibiting Fine Art Photography in Galleries such as Robin Rice Gallery in New York since 1998. http://www.robinricegallery.com/

Review provided by 'New York Artworld' magazine, 2004:

"Kelly blurs the line between photography and painting. His subject matter, ranging from images of the natural world (flora and fauna), to urban and residential landscapes, focuses on the individual's place in a given environment as expressed by his or her body language.
For example, in the work, 'Beach Kids', Kelly depicts a beach in Newport, California, in which the shore's wide expanse of yellow sand is divided by a white line of froth from the band of grey ocean; This in turn is divided by the horizon from the immense, grey-blue sky."

This is an excerpt from the press release from my fourth solo show at Robin Rice Gallery in September, 2010 - "Pete Kelly's latest show evokes memory through strong associative, emotional and surreal imagery, stretching reality toward a timeless fantasia. Through his collection, Kelly invites viewers to not only bear witness to the moments he has captured in frame, but provides tangible windows of access in each piece, rousing their faded cache of memories and permitting them to relive each experience as if it were their own".

My work is currently in the following Permanent Photographic Collections: Dow & Jones, Sloan-Kettering, Bloomingdales, Macy's, Polo Ralph Lauren, The Connaught Hotel, Williamsburg Art & Historical Society, Jerry Bruckheimer, Ken Jones Jr Fine Art and many other private collectors.

My photographs represent a collaboration of ideas in the camera and the computer, utilizing photographic and digital techniques, arriving at a point which reflects the Dadaist concept 'Photography as the Art of the Found'. My images are rarely staged, they may be photographically manipulated for example photographing the subject out of focus, or digitally manipulated, by layering images or textures together for a conceptual purpose.
However the images were found, as represented in the viewfinder of the camera at that moment in time.

The nostalgic or painterly style, which is created by layering photographs of found textures such as close-ups of stone walls, brush strokes on canvas or scratches on photographic film.
The 'spontaneity' in the texture reinforces the Dadaist 'Found Object as Art' concept.

To layer a brushstroke, grainy or scratchy image on top of a pristine photograph, degrading the image and breaking fundamental photographic rules is important in my work as an artist, to communicate the medium in an alternative way, to provoke memory in the viewer by offering nostalgic references in the brushstroke or scratch, paying homage to painter's like Turner and Constable and Giacometti.
Ultimately, I strive to create a cohesive body of work which encompasses a broad range of styles, from the large depth of field (sharp focus) scenes in Cityscapes and Landscapes, to the shallow depth of field (out of focus) in the abstract images, shot in silhouette, where the textural layers take on a more prominent role.

I have taught Photoshop I & II and Digital Imaging in private tuition and at The New School University in New York, 2000-2002.

The Printing and Finishing process is the final stage of my work, which employs the latest Archival Pigment, Inkjet technology. The images are printed on 315 gsm Smooth Fine Art, Cotton Rag Watercolour paper and coated with U.V Varnish in Limited Editions of 25.

If the printed image is being framed behind glass, this is the final stage of the process for me and i'll gladly hand the print to a qualified professional.

If the image is being finished with Beeswax, using the Photo Encaustic process (http://www.petekelly.com/photoencaustic.html) an archival finishing technique which I had originally learned from Robert Von, a Photography Professor at NYU in New York, (2003) and since developed in my own style.
I have gone on to teach Photo Encaustic workshops at Applied Arts School in Amagansett, New York and in U.K.

Photo Encaustic, an emerging process in the Fine Art Photography world is an ancient practice of mixing Beeswax with Damar Resin, (or tree sap in it's rawest form).
It's not just the archival, painterly, tactile and non-reflective qualities that are important to me, but also the gradual decline of the global Bee population is a passionate topic for me, if i can bring awareness through my work, it adds another 'layer' of relevance and perspective to what i'm trying to achieve in a piece of Art.

Help save the Bee: https://secure.avaaz.org/en/save_the_bees/?cl=896491480&v=8118

The early Religious Iconic Art and Relics in Pharoah's tombs contain Encaustic Wax Paintings, I'm utilizing this technique in a modern context, coating Fine Art Photographs on prepared board.

A two inch deep hollow board is created, once the board has been prepared with Gesso I mount the image with acid-free adhesive and coat with U.V varnish. The edges of the image are sanded and the board is stained with oil based Ebony or Walnut stain.
The hot Beeswax and Damar Resin mixture are now applied and worked with a heatgun and metal spatula before finally using a hot flat iron to finish the effect.

Until the mid 1950s it was widely considered vulgar and pretentious to frame a photograph for a gallery exhibition. Prints were usually simply pasted onto blockboard or plywood, or given a white border in the darkroom and then pinned at the corners onto display boards.
Prints were thus shown without any glass reflections obscuring them. Steichen's famous 'The Family of Man' exhibition was unframed, the pictures pasted to panels.
Even as late as 1966 Bill Brandt's MoMA show was unframed, with simple prints pasted to thin plywood. Since about 2000 there has been a noticeable move toward once again showing contemporary gallery prints on boards and without glass.
In addition, throughout the twentieth century, there was a noticeable increase in the size of prints. … Read More