Kelly Campanile’s art is a riot of humor and irreverence, brought to life with a palette of bright, bold colors and exaggerated, cartoonish forms. She’s not just an artist; she’s a trailblazer, pushing the boundaries of what’s expected.
If that wasn’t impressive enough, Kelly has earned her spot on the Flying Piston Benefit “Art On Deck” presented by BIG FRIG contest. This breakfast event kicks off Monday, March 4, 2024 at Teddy Morse’s Daytona Harley-Davidson dealership.
Join us as we unravel the mind behind the art, where every stroke tells a story and every color sparks the imagination.
Q: Describe the design you created for the Drink the Art competition at the Flying Piston Benefit.
A: It’s my notion of a dragon character. It’s like the Ed Hardy dragon mixed with some Disney shit going on there. So, you know, I always feel like the flames and the dragon are like tattoos, like imagery. So, it’s a few different things mixed together in a graffiti style.
Q: What medium did you use?
A: I used one shot sign painter enamel paint and a couple of coats of clear coat. It should be durable with respect to being washed and all that stuff. Because you got the best quality you can get on there.
Q: What do you think of painting on a growler? How was that experience?
A: I sort of sketch it out and create the thumbnail on a piece of paper. And map it out like you would with a tattoo because you have to think about the shape of it. It’s almost like 3D. It helps to think about it that way. It was fun, but then it was hard. It’s hard not to smear the One Shot paint. That’s certainly the difficult part. And it’s not an easy medium, but I am stoked to practice with it.
Q: How would you describe your artistic style and how it’s developed over the course of your career?
A: I would describe it as a depraved Lowbrow cartoon. It’s improved over the years because of learning how to tattoo has taught me a few things about blending techniques and placement.
Q: What do you do in the motorcycles industry?
A: I like gas tanks. I really like custom gas tanks.
Q: What is your creative process when developing a piece of art?
A: It’s a lot of coffee or a lot of beer and then pacing and lastly, a lot of sketching. Once you get that down, I just go for it. And then the painting part for me is the reward. It’s the prep, that’s the hard part.
Q: I noticed no cannabis in your in your process. Is that for a lack of trying?
A: No, no weed. I have been non-stop partying since October. And, well, I have plenty of shit from Colorado that a buddy gave me and I was thinking about staying dry through January. Then I might switch over to this Colorado shit and see what I come up with.
Q: Talk about the themes and subjects that consistently appear in your work.
A: Um, so I guess it’s the punk rock scene. They’re kinda the characters strung out and partying, you know, almost like they’ve been doing that for days straight. Just live-life-fast type of shit.
Q: So, are you saying this is autobiography art?
A: Yes.
There you have it. If you like Kelly’s art like we do, you can take it home by joining us at the Flying Piston Benefit online auction. Our theme is Lowbrow art. Proceeds go to buy bikes for kindergartner P.E. classes across the country. We’ve helped to train over 150,000 kiddos.
Details are at
www.flyingpistonbenefit.com
LINKS:
www.FlyingPistonBenefit.com
https://www.instagram.com/kellycampanile/
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