Handicrafts Both Strange and Sublime
Rob Kelsey is a Chicago-based artist whose varied work is united not by form or medium, but by a desire to find the beauty in the macabre, the uncanny, and the forlorn.
Masks
Made from leather, yarn, beads, and found fabric, every mask is unique. Even if the pattern is repeated, the particularities of each piece of leather make their presence visible upon the finished mask.
Paintings
By adding new elements to the existing compositions of antique paper goods an alternate history is created - one in which mid-century American beliefs in progress and industry are forced to coexist with the older beliefs in fairies, spirits, and monsters.
Books
The physical presence of a book is important, especially in the digital age. All of the stories in this gallery are intrinsically tied to their physical presence, requiring the reader to engage with the book in a personal, tactile way.
