Work 1
Self Portrait 2072
If I’m not saggy, wrinkly, squinting, man-spreading, unapologetically bored of my wonderful family by the time I turn 69 (maybe 69 and a half, I’m from February), then something’s up and you should check on me.
Oil on canvas 18 by 24 inches from imagination November 2022
Work 2
Sharkie
I used to feel like still lifes were really bland and uptight, just a way to get in some technical and observation practice. But the silliness of this model shark kept me entertained while working on this piece. For still lifes that aren’t formally playful, it just made sense to add some humor to the subject itself.
Oil on canvas 30 by 42 inches from observation October 2022
Work 3
The Slumber Party
All of our parents are partying downstairs, it’s late, later than usual. I guess they aren’t rushing home to a nanny since they are letting us all sleep here. In her very merry state, Victoria’s mom let us bring down her old dolls and tea set from the attic. We even snook some of her sister’s jewelry from her room down the hall. Most of us are worn out by now, I wonder if anyone is awake enough to turn that lamp off.
Graphite on paper 24 by 18 inches from imagination December 2021
Work 4
Cards in the Clurb
Eliza just threw me under with a reverse card, Grace schemes her next move, I’m too mad to actually play, Lucy doesn’t play cards, she’s FaceTiming Mary, Sascha zones out whenever she looks into direct lighting, and Ola got the next best pot-stirring card up their sleeve, or rather, in their back pocket.
Oil on canvas 72 by 48 inches from imagination December 2022
Work 5
Stuck at the Table
Ma discretely brought over a toy basket and left it besides the unequally low chair I was dealt and the Thanksgiving feast. She must have seen me getting restless, looking around while our guests sip slowly and drag on and on about the highs and mostly lows of their 9-5s. I was in dire need of some real mental stimulation.
Crayon crayon on watercolor on cardstock 48 by 38 inches from reference May 2022
Work 6
Alice The Great
I owe so much Great Grandmother Alice, my mother’s caregiver, my sister’s namesake. This painting is from an old photograph of Alice throwing her sister a birthday party. The stories of this woman are legendary, a Brooklyn woman who stood her ground and understood a good time.
Oil on canvas 36 by 24 inches from reference December 2022
Work 7
Patterns in the Human Body
So I love sitting down and doing life drawing, the meditative observation, the discipline, yada yada yada. But when I was asked why the human figure as a subject appeals to me so much, it was oddly the first time I wondered about that. Thinking its because my family members are all in the health and medical field, which is a dinner topic my stomach doesn’t agree with, the imagery comes so strong. With a brainfull of anatomy and physiology, this is how I sift through it.
Crayon on paper 14 by 17 inches series from observation and reference Fall 2022
Work 8
Cora’s Magical Pink Mitt
I had the opportunity to illustrate novelist Peter Cavalier’s first children’s book, made in honor of his granddaughter Cora. The story features the pink baseball mitt gifted to her on her last birthday, she soon learns it’s a gift best served shared.
Digital illustrations on Procreate printed 9 by 7 inches published November 11, 2022 by BookBaby
Work 9
Benny the Pup’
Puppet: Scrap bin lumber, acrylic paint, fishing line, screw eyes, wire 5 by 13 by 10 inches April 2022
Stage: adobe illustrator, canvas print 36 by 24 inches April 2022
Work 10
B(B(Box)x)x)
I giddily made this box as a gift for one of my mother’s birthdays. Our ancestry is Pennsylvania-Dutch, a culture of simplicity, crafts, hard work, butter, and the best damn pies you’ve ever had. What intrigues me most are the hand-made wooden boxes and puzzles that were made by and passed down from my great Uncle Henry. Interestingly, it felt weirdly natural to design this wooden box 🙂
pine, nails, wood glue, bees wax 10 by 6.75 by 7 inches November 2021
Work 11
Paper Dollhouse
A story of my all-female family in the form of playtime.
Cardboard, cardstock, ink, colored pencil, watercolor, tape, glue-stick 9 by 9 by 9 inches while folded up March 2022
Work 12
Tug of War
This started as a sculpture project, melded into a multi-figure drawing in gridded perspective, then the drawings became silhouette outlines for a set of washable stencils. I work with spray paint and stencils a bunch, usually carving them out from paper. But using paper means they warp and collect dirt as soon as you use them once. So I used window screen scraps, caulk, hot glue, and tape to assemble something more like silkscreen but for spraypaint. The use of wire mesh let me layer colors with a half-tone effect, allowing me to create new shapes and colors with limited supplies.
Water-based spray paint on paper, wire mesh, caulking, hot glue, tape Shown: 18 by 54 inches (portion of continuous paper roll) from imagination May 2022
Work 13
Mini Portraits
oil on canvas paper 3.5 by 2.5 inches March 2022 from reference
Maggie Jelley 