Keltie Ferris

Renowned for his use of brilliant colors and his expressive abstract paintings, Keltie Ferris (b. 1977) earned a master’s degree from Yale University. Based in the New York borough of Brooklyn, he was influenced by geometric abstract style with minimal composition, as his early works featured canvases resembling grids yet exuded a distinctively freewheeling quality. His images show pixel patterns reminiscent of digital images reminiscent of the neon lights of the Big Apple and free-flowing lines inspired by the graffiti along New York streets. Calling his individual paintings living and moving “actors,” Ferris infuses his canvases with vitality. To create such vibrant images, he places no constraints on applying color, including using a palette knife to apply materials such as oils, acrylics, spray paint, and pastels or utilizing a spray gun on certain portions. Since 2018, he has turned his attention to forms resembling disintegrating grids and waves of sound and water, producing three-dimensional canvases where curves swirl and churn. Combining the thick layering of impasto with the “wipe out” technique of applying paint and then quickly wiping it away, he produces powerful energy through his contrasting colors.