Profile

Hometown

Indianapolis

Nickname

Artistic Prophet

Blog

http://www.artisticprophetstudios.com

Interests

Indy artists: Steven Kelso's soul search on canvas April 01, 2009 by Konrad.Marshall | Staff Exhibit features large-scale works with religious themes You can’t help but think of Salvador Dali when you meet Steven Kelso. There’s the mustache, sure. But also that rollicking mind that can’t help but leap from one seemingly tangential non sequitur to the next. There’s a childish glee to the way Kelso carries himself, then you see his work, hanging on the high walls of the lobby outside the former home of American Cabaret Theatre. The cavernous space of the Atheneum building is perfect for his lucid large-scale paintings, which plumb religious themes and plop them down inside a topsy-turvy world on canvas. A member of the non-denominational Indy Metro Church, Kelso has been painting for decades, but this weekend kicks off his first major show Downtown in 10 years. He said he wanted to create his own personal Musee du Louvre with the exhibition by presenting the works salon-style, as a conglomeration of perspectives — from apocalyptic and dark to celebratory and illuminated to psychological and hyper-personal. On one canvas, he brings to mind Chuck Close. On the next, Alfons Mucha. And all the major players are here, from Madonna with child to Jesus to the devil and the four horsemen of the apocalypse. “I was called early to paint this type of subject matter,” Kelso said. “Kind of like good versus evil in the spiritual realm.” Windows of the Soul: The Anthology What: Large-scale art works by Steven Kelso, hosted by Athenaeum Foundation. Where: Athenaeum Theatre, 401 E. Michigan St. Info: http://www.absolutearts.com/portfolios/a/artisticprophet/ http://athenaeumgallery.blogspot.com/

History

Member for

1 year 9 weeks