South Boston
Ariel Kessler
Golden Steeple, Ariel Kessler
Ariel Kessler is a collector of stories.
Her mixed media art encompasses lively, colorful imagery in a whimsical world. She is inspired by children's book authors and illustrators.
In contrast, her photography lets viewers into her private self, and has been described as quiet, haunting and evocative. Ariel finds inspiration from 20th century female photographers.
By working in mixed media, these two sides can merge.
At a young age Ariel developed a fondness for painting, printmaking and photography and was mentored by Boston-based artist, Evelyn Berde. She built her first darkroom at twelve years of age. While using her late father’s Nikon F, she took photographs wherever she went. At eighteen, she moved to New York City to attend the School of Visual Arts. There she became enraptured with small camera, street-like photography. After two years focusing on this style, she moved back to her hometown of Boston to attend the Massachusetts College of Art and Design, where she was mentored by some of the masters of the large-format camera and was given the opportunity to work with the infamous Polaroid 20×24 camera. She graduated with her BFA in 2010. She has studied advanced alternative photographic processes in Santa Fe, New Mexico and Savannah, Georgia.
While Ariel's college education has been in photography, combining other traditional art mediums with an emphasis of the mark of the hand has always been a passion and the basis of her work. Utilizing found imagery and papers with painting and printmaking, Ariel has found her stride in her art making.
In 2019, Ariel was invited to be an artist in residence at the Fish Factory Creative Centre of Stöðvarfjörður, Iceland.
In Summer 2021, Ariel will begin graduate school at Massachusetts College of Art and Design to receive her Master of Fine Arts degree.
In March 2022, Ariel will be an artist in residence at The Ou Gallery in Vancouver Island, Canada.
Ariel Kessler has exhibited her work all over the United States, and internationally in Mexico and Japan.
Her work can be found in public and private collections throughout the world.
Ariel lives and works in Watertown, Massachusetts and spends her days working in her studio and traveling throughout the East coast doing shows, exhibiting and selling her work.
For questions regarding pricing, commissions, or anything else please contact:
ariel.kessler@gmail.com
@ariel.kessler on Instagram
www.facebook.com/arielkesslerart