Shawn Kielty Photography -- About Shawn Kielty

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About the Artist

Shawn Kielty grew up near San Francisco, California. An early interest in Watercolor painting and silkscreen was fostered by the late Don Crawford, which led to continuing education in the arts at the College of San Mateo under the guidance of David Allende and Ray Lorenzato. A scholarship granted based on a portfolio review led Kielty to the San Francisco Art Institute in 1983, to study with Tom Akawie and Julius Hatofsky, both noted San Francisco painters. After a period of pursuing his own career as a painter, and several excursions into private business as a sign painter and graphic artist, Kielty began teaching art to young people through several recreation departments in the San Francisco Area. Modest success at this endeavor led Kielty to return to college to pursue a career teaching art at the university level, receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree in Art from the California State University, Hayward in 1993 and a Master of Fine Arts degree in Sculpture from Washington State University in 1995. Currently Mr.Kielty live in Mesa, AZ.

A Brief History

"Thinking back, my earliest memories are of building things, and of the birds present in the yard of my childhood home, and of going to the library, and trips to the country on the weekends. The striking thing about the presence of birds in the suburbs is perhaps their continued freedom in spite of the development that precludes wildlife by intent. My interest in birds is intricately linked to my desire to be an Artist and to my academic development. At the earliest stages of my life I was off to the library to learn about birds, reading, finding pictures in the books to copy into my notebook, learning the characteristics of the different species, and drawing the birds I saw. Once when I was about 5, I was trying to build a bird feeder from a pattern I found in a book. My grandfather came out into my father's workshop and, noticing what a difficult time I was having, helped me finish that feeder, and started me in pattern of building things. There were other times when he helped me as well, and often, when we needed this thing or that, we would ask my mother, because she had squirreled away drawers full of stuff, and had one of just about everything. My weekend trips to rural and wild California helped me in understanding the relationship that man has with nature. My father held nature in respect and taught me to treat nature with reverence, walk softly, and learn about it, understand it, if that was possible. As I grew older I raised homing pigeons in a pen in the yard. I would carry the pigeons in a cage on my bicycle and release them, to find out if they really wanted to live in that pen. And to my amazement, they always would be home when I got there. I could literally ride my bike into the swamps in and around the bay. I recall once being so fascinated by some thing that I ran right out into the mud flats only to sink in to my waist, so stuck was I that I had to be rescued by my brother. As I grew up, so did my small town, so much that I can't find the rabbits or birds with which I shared my youth, now covered with a sprawling metropolis. My early years as an artist I was primarily interested in painting. It was not until I had difficulty in articulating the nature of my feelings that I turned to sculpture. I found the medium enabled me to communicate more effectively" Lately, while staring off at some distant raptor, I have found myself motivated to communicating through a combination of images, in an effort to demonstrate the disparities of man and the present wildness. Or not.

Shawn Kielty

September 2003

San Bruno Mountain, CA	Zion Canyon National Park, UT	Manhattan, New York City, NY	Yosemite National Park, CA
Mono Lake, CA	Joshua Tree National Park, CA	Owens Valley, CA	Death Valley National Park, CA
Panamint Valley, CA	Grafton, UT	Tokyo, Japan	West Fork Oak Creek, AZ
Tonto National Forest AZ	Kalmiopsis Wilderness OR	Big Basin State Park, CA	Pheonix/Mesa, AZ
Colusa National Wildlife Refuge, CA	Southern Oregon	Southern Utah	Arizona Sunsets
Redwoods National Park, CA	Usury Mountains Recreation Area, AZ	Grand Canyon, AZ	Saguaro National Park, AZ
Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, AZ	Queen Valley, AZ	Badwater, CA	Morro Bay, CA
Lava Beds National Monument, CA	Freshwater Lagoon, CA	Corte Madera State Park, CA	Russell City Junk Cars, Hayward, CA
A Rogue River Hike, OR	Mohave Desert, CA	Portraits/People	Flower Series
Map Series	Mount Shasta, CA	Orchids	Future Destinations
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