About
ABOUT
Modernism, abstract surrealism, pop culture, and body language define Skelly’s artistic output. Nothing is off-limits to achieve his pursuit of inventing songlike works. He chooses an array of materials as instruments for his “songs.” The “songs” are then followed like a map that leads the viewer on a journey to an undiscovered destination with look-out views along the way.
Found materials such as jigsaw puzzles, paint-by-number sets, broken appliances, plastic models, and any other ready-made objects shows potential for an evolution into curious and thought provoking art forms.
The paintings are coupled to his radio program the "Sound of Pictures", a movie music show that includes anything that requires a soundtrack. The show airs on KSPC 88.7fm and kspc.org on Tuesdays from 10-11am (replayed Wednesdays from 8-9am), and also on KXRY Portland streaming online at XRAY.FM (Saturday 8-9am and archived anytime.)
BIO
In 1980 Skelly accepted an Artist In Residence position to design and implement a multi-disciplinary fine arts program at the California Institution for Men in Chino. The ingenuity of prison arts’ found materials opened his eyes for additional applications to his art.
During this time he began collaborating with artists in a variety of disciplines including theater and music and literature. His extensive prison arts programming led to a six-year teaching position at UCLA on the subject of the Artistic Culture of the Incarcerated.
Skelly’s work can be summarized as a silent collaboration with outside influences ranging from music, film, architecture, and literature. His exposure to these objects and experiences creates a brew that results in an original visual statement that speaks to both worlds with a nod toward irony.
Tom Skelly was born in St. Louis Missouri. He received a B.A. from the University of California at Santa Barbara and an M.F.A. from Claremont Graduate University in Painting in 1979. Upon graduating he began exhibiting and teaching painting, drawing and design.
In 1980 Skelly accepted an Artist In Residence position to design and implement a multi-disciplinary fine arts program at the California Institution for Men in Chino. During this time he began collaborating with artists in a variety of disciplines including theater and music and literature. This work led to a six year teaching position at UCLA on the subject of the Artistic Culture of the Incarcerated. In 1985 he began hosting a weekly three hour radio program at KSPC Pomona College. Since then Skelly began producing radio and audio art for gallery installations, performances, and National Public Radio.
Treasury of Claremont Music 2013-2020
In the late 1980’s, I developed a form of presentation that combines documentary with exhibition which I call docu-bition. It joins and connects pictorial images with text in an aesthetic and educational display of a chosen subject. For this project, I’ve expanded it to include audio musical selections to broaden the portraits of the featured musicians.