Notes on Artwork and Life


Background: I was born in Pasadena, California. I lived in San Francisco for twenty-three years until recently moving to Ojai in May of 2001 where I’ve set up my studio, Kelly Luscombe Studio at The Blue Verandah. I am from a family of artists, homemakers, photographers, aviators, scientists, financiers and hardware store owners. My parents were very different from each other: My mother is a national authority on the art of the table and entertaining. Last year I illustrated her book The Art of the Table by Suzanne von Drachenfels, published by Simon and Shuster. My father is deceased. In addition to being an engineer, he was passionately involved with black and white photography (studied with Ansel Adams) and backpacking in the High Sierra. I grew up going to the wilds with my father and brother, lugging my dad’s heavy camera equipment up to high elevations only to return home to extreme dress-up with mother, the ultimate grand hostess. My parents divorced when I was twelve. Over the years, the original nuclear family of four children changed to 10 (7 girls and 3 boys), as my parents remarried and new stepbrothers and sisters were included.

Why I work with hinged mixed media. I love layers and ways to see through layers. I like the tactile and kinetic side of opening and shutting. I love the power of the small. I used to work very large. Now I appreciate the power of the small painting. When well done, it is just as powerful, if not more so, than the very large. I enjoy hiding images and covering them up, putting them to sleep for awhile when I don’t feel like seeing them. They are little books that open to tell a story. The front side is a preview of what’s inside and the inside reveals all. I like to build with wood and objects, screening, fabric and collage. I like to spotlight certain elements when the doors are closed, like feet and shoes especially. Other times, the highlighted image is revealed when a small door is open, or in a cut-out showing images of people in the act of doing things: vacuuming, jackhammering, ironing, honeymooning, birdwatching, among others.

Process: At first I just build. I love the relaxing feeling of a power tool. They have a way of calming me down and making me feel like “I’m really doing something.” The jigsaw and the miter saw are my current favorites. But drills are great too. It was so liberating when I learned how to use them. It completely changed my world. I regret not taking Shop, in addition to Home Economics in junior high. After cutting up wood, I sand, hinge, putty, glue or epoxy, then add collage, nails or other elements. Finally, I work with images. Lately, I have been working with snapshots of people, and then changing them to my liking and intent of expression. Both of my great grandfathers were small town portrait photographers and I have inherited a lot of interesting old images that I have been incorporating. I use small brushes and do a lot of glazing and layering. I used to work more out of my head, making up figures. My art had a more cartoony and surreal quality because of this. Lately, I have been working from real people (models) and photographs. The light quality on the figures is much more specific, and I have been enjoying painting the nuances of light and shadow.

A Few Favorite artists: Valezquez., Goya, Frida Kahlo, Jacob Lawrence, Giorgio de Chirico, Phyllis Diller, Cindy Sherman, Philip Guston, Bob Arneson, Elizabeth Coe, Marcel Duchamp, Tasha Tudor, Berthe Marisot

photo by Deborah Mosca

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