Kelly Carámbula
Artist Statement
2024
I see my work as a continuation of myself that embraces the fullness of being a woman, a mother, an artist. I create space for emotion and complexity that language alone cannot express. Through making, I uncover and explore the joys and hardships of life.
My work starts by sketching forms that echo my emotions. These drawings are the vocabulary of shapes, textures, and colors necessary for expressing feelings in a range of mediums. The physicality of my work in clay, fiber, and metal all bring a sense of the hand. Each piece is a tactile conversation with the material — its character, its tradition, its history — embodying an acceptance of things that are both in and out of our control.
My shapes recall lived moments with their organic outlines while their textures show the variation of responses embedded in any circumstance. Choosing color is a balancing act between bold, vibrant hues that demand to be seen and muted tones that ground me. The relationships between these elements is the rhythm that moves the work between moments of discomfort, discovery, and delight.
My practice is guided by instinct and intuition, while my process celebrates imperfections and differences. I make, gather, and sort through the individual elements of each work according to what feels needed. In doing so, I defy normative conventions of functional craftwork, declare my determination to make room for all that I am, and embrace my vulnerability. I want my work to bring a knowing that we can be many things at once.
bio
Kelly Carámbula is a Minnesota-based artist and sculptor. Her work explores elements of control and imperfection, often incorporating surprises that encourage the viewer to look closer, longer, or from a different perspective. She is continually interested and inspired by her children’s artwork, the relationships between color and form, and the way nature hands us small surprises if we take the time to look.
Prior to focusing on her art practice, Kelly designed and published Remedy Quarterly (2009-2018), an internationally distributed journal that collected and shared food-related memories and the recipes that inspired them.
She lived in San Francisco for 11 years, immersing herself in both the art world and parenthood. Prior to that, she spent 9 years living and working in New York City where she worked in branding and packaging for brands like Real Simple, Kate's Paperie, The American Museum of Natural History, Pfizer, and Bath & Body Works. During this time she also started the award-winning food blog, The Best Remedy (formerly eat make read), dabbled in underground cocktail-making and catering, and honed her food photography skills. Her work has been featured in BUST magazine, food52.com, seriouseats.com, and Better Homes and Gardens. She earned her BFA in Graphic Design from Western Michigan University.
Kelly lives with her husband, two daughters, and dog in Excelsior, Minnesota. When she's not making art, she's usually chauffeuring her children to various activities, searching for the best lunch spots, admiring the seasons and wildlife in Minnesota, or dreaming of adventure.