Love This! Candy-Colored Collages by Kelly O'Connor

My BFF since 5th grade's name is Kelly O'Connor. Recently, I came across some really great images that I liked, and when I scrolled down to see the artist's name, I was excited to see that the works were created by another Kelly O'Connor...I had to reach out to her!

So, today we're looking at some collages by Texas-based artist Kelly O'Connor, not to be confused with my Kelly O'Connor, from ATL :) I love O'Connor's work because of it's focus on geometric shapes, colors, and lines, but as always, there's much more to it than that.

O'Connor says the following in this excerpt from her Artist's Statement: 

Playing with color and scale is central to my process. Sickly sweet, candy-colored surfaces are juxtaposed with colored paper sampled from vintage record covers. The contrast of sparkling rays and bright neon against weathered, dull tones acts as a metaphor for dualities within our society. Appropriated images, enlarged from their original source to exaggerate their apparent content, introduce nostalgic and familiar themes that provide a rich access point for the viewer. These images are drawn from film and popular magazines, primarily from the 1950’s and 1960’s. I prefer this time period because the line quality of the drawings is minimal and the subjects are rich with American idealism.

Although her creation process is very involved, I have to say that even if you don't get to the deeper message in her work, her pieces are simply fun to look at and her colors, shapes, and compositions are pleasing to the eye. I also love the summery feel that the works below convey.

Lets take a look...!

What do you think? Aren't they great? And I love it that she has elevated collage to a form of very high art, and has done it in such a concise, thoughtful, striking way. 

If you, too, enjoy O'Connor's work, then you can view more on her website.