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Kettle Art Gallery presents Jeff "Skele" Sheely: "It's Been Too Long" opening reception

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Photo courtesy of Jeff "Skele" Sheely

Jeff "Skele" Sheely was born and raised in Virginia where he excelled as a soccer player, even received a scholarship offer. But at age 19, he suffered knee injuries that abruptly ended his bright future as an athlete.

This became a period of reflection and transition for Skele. As he searched for what he would do next, it became clear that his “next” was emerging from a sketchpad. As he continued to recover from his knee injuries, Skele worked odd jobs around Virginia Beach, sketched in his downtime, and gradually built up a collection of work. After meeting some local graffiti artists and surrounding himself with creatives, Skele was inspired to focus more on his art and begin showing work.

Skele’s 2013 relocation to Dallas served as the final push to live off his art. In less than two months of his arrival in Texas, he was showing work in a gallery. Skele became a fixture in Kettle Art Gallery, entered numerous arts festivals and live-painting events, and honed his skills as a studio artist, before moving to his current home, Austin, in 2017. He loves working in a variety of mediums, but for his canvas work, he primarily layers spray paint, acrylic paint, and pastels. He has also dabbled in digital art, like stop motion animation. Recently, Skele has developed an interest in 3D works, such as multi-layered pieces constructed from wood.

In 2020, he collaborated with his longtime friend and mentor, Nic Noblique of Noblique Studios. This large-scale project has allowed him to further explore his love of dimensional art and bring his distinct style to life on numerous metal sculptures. They are currently on display at Rebecca Low Sculptural Metal Gallery in Fort Worth. Since then, Skele has been focusing on creating larger scale canvas works in his home studio and traveling to gain inspiration.

Following the opening reception, the exhibit will be on view through May 14.

Jeff "Skele" Sheely was born and raised in Virginia where he excelled as a soccer player, even received a scholarship offer. But at age 19, he suffered knee injuries that abruptly ended his bright future as an athlete.

This became a period of reflection and transition for Skele. As he searched for what he would do next, it became clear that his “next” was emerging from a sketchpad. As he continued to recover from his knee injuries, Skele worked odd jobs around Virginia Beach, sketched in his downtime, and gradually built up a collection of work. After meeting some local graffiti artists and surrounding himself with creatives, Skele was inspired to focus more on his art and begin showing work.

Skele’s 2013 relocation to Dallas served as the final push to live off his art. In less than two months of his arrival in Texas, he was showing work in a gallery. Skele became a fixture in Kettle Art Gallery, entered numerous arts festivals and live-painting events, and honed his skills as a studio artist, before moving to his current home, Austin, in 2017. He loves working in a variety of mediums, but for his canvas work, he primarily layers spray paint, acrylic paint, and pastels. He has also dabbled in digital art, like stop motion animation. Recently, Skele has developed an interest in 3D works, such as multi-layered pieces constructed from wood.

In 2020, he collaborated with his longtime friend and mentor, Nic Noblique of Noblique Studios. This large-scale project has allowed him to further explore his love of dimensional art and bring his distinct style to life on numerous metal sculptures. They are currently on display at Rebecca Low Sculptural Metal Gallery in Fort Worth. Since then, Skele has been focusing on creating larger scale canvas works in his home studio and traveling to gain inspiration.

Following the opening reception, the exhibit will be on view through May 14.

Jeff "Skele" Sheely was born and raised in Virginia where he excelled as a soccer player, even received a scholarship offer. But at age 19, he suffered knee injuries that abruptly ended his bright future as an athlete.

This became a period of reflection and transition for Skele. As he searched for what he would do next, it became clear that his “next” was emerging from a sketchpad. As he continued to recover from his knee injuries, Skele worked odd jobs around Virginia Beach, sketched in his downtime, and gradually built up a collection of work. After meeting some local graffiti artists and surrounding himself with creatives, Skele was inspired to focus more on his art and begin showing work.

Skele’s 2013 relocation to Dallas served as the final push to live off his art. In less than two months of his arrival in Texas, he was showing work in a gallery. Skele became a fixture in Kettle Art Gallery, entered numerous arts festivals and live-painting events, and honed his skills as a studio artist, before moving to his current home, Austin, in 2017. He loves working in a variety of mediums, but for his canvas work, he primarily layers spray paint, acrylic paint, and pastels. He has also dabbled in digital art, like stop motion animation. Recently, Skele has developed an interest in 3D works, such as multi-layered pieces constructed from wood.

In 2020, he collaborated with his longtime friend and mentor, Nic Noblique of Noblique Studios. This large-scale project has allowed him to further explore his love of dimensional art and bring his distinct style to life on numerous metal sculptures. They are currently on display at Rebecca Low Sculptural Metal Gallery in Fort Worth. Since then, Skele has been focusing on creating larger scale canvas works in his home studio and traveling to gain inspiration.

Following the opening reception, the exhibit will be on view through May 14.

WHEN

WHERE

Kettle Art Gallery
2650-B Main St.
Dallas, TX 75226
https://www.kettleart.com/

TICKET INFO

Admission is free.
All events are subject to change due to weather or other concerns. Please check with the venue or organization to ensure an event is taking place as scheduled.
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