Conversations with Clarence Kelly

Today we’d like to introduce you to Clarence Kelly.

Hi Clarence, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Well, I guess this depends on how far back we are going. I’m originally from south Florida but my Creative journey starts in Ohio around middle school.

I wanted to be a professional skateboarder, however, the problem with skateboarding is that you have to be good, and I was not. so I decided that in order to stay within the skate world, I was going to start a skate company and design board graphics.

I convinced my parents to buy me the adobe creative suite (which was much cheaper at the time) and taught myself how to use Adobe Illustrator. Most of my free time was spent making board graphics, learning guitar, and playing video games.

At some point, I decided I wanted to shift my trajectory to music. However, the illustrations came along with it as every band that’s worth their salt needs some decent artwork to go along with the music.

I ended up going to university here in Nashville at Trevecca for music business and got my first graphic design job with the marketing department; mostly because I was one of the only students that knew how to use the programs.

After a year of this, I dropped out, went back to Florida, and got a job working at a mega-church in Orlando playing music. All the while I was picking up freelance design gigs, taking commissions, and trying to start a small skate company out of my garage, screen printing the boards by hand and slinging them at comic conventions.

Eventually, my time ended at the church, and being only 22 at the time, I decided a decent course of action was to get out of Florida and finish my degree. So I returned to Nashville and re-enrolled at Trevecca to finish my degree in the music business. This was in 2018.

Over the next few years, while studying, I spent some time working with Mama’s Sauce print shop to hone in on my screen printing and letterpress skills, as well as worked with Triple 8 Management as a designer, working with artists like Judah and the Lion, Devon Gilfillian, Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors, and Scotty McCreery to name a few.

After Graduating in 2021 I spent time as a freelancer working often with Triple 8’s Texas office, and doing random gigs here and there. In January, in the year of our Lord two thousand and twenty-two, I joined the team at Centricity Music as a full-time “content creator” doing design, video, and animation.

This is where I am currently, and I’m having a great time. I still take on the occasional freelance gig and I am always working on some weird project in my free time.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Eehhhhhhhhhh, not exactly smooth per se, but things have a funny way of working out.

For example, while I was working at the church in Florida I had a very difficult time. However much of that frustration was put into the art I was making as it was a release of sorts. I was drawing almost every night because it was the best way for me to unwind after a frustrating day at my job.

Eventually, after a few years of butting heads with church leadership, a couple of heated arguments here and there, and a near fistfight with a children’s pastor; I stumbled upon something that looked like fraud within the church. After bringing it to the attention of leadership, I was promptly fired without warning, and thus my journey as a music minister came to an abrupt halt.

However, if I had not been fired I probably would not have gone back to school, finished my degree, pursued my art full time, or gotten to where I am today. So in an odd way, I am very thankful for the struggles and hiccups as they helped me grow and learn.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
My areas of expertise are illustration, graphic design, relief printing, screen printing, and traditional animation!

I like to think that I’ve developed a pretty recognizable style with most of my work, if you take some time to look through my portfolio I think you may notice some things that tie it all together. Having spent time working in a traditional print shop and screen printing/carving in my free time, much of my work is made with print in mind.

I shade often using hatching, as it keeps the number of colors in use down. In screen printing, each color is usually done one at a time, so the more colors your design has, the longer it takes and the more expensive it is to create.

A lot of the art I make for fun is usually made to humor myself. Usually, things that I find funny, subversive, or corporate mascots in settings that they probably shouldn’t be. The projects that I enjoy the most are relief carvings that I do, as those take the most time and are the most therapeutic.

The process of drawing up a design, carving it into linoleum or wood, and then using it to print is a fun one. it’s always so rewarding to be able to hold a finished print!

Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
Well, if we’re going to talk about cheerleaders then I have to of course mention my parents! The one’s who bought me the adobe suite in the first place, knowing full well that I wasn’t going to start a successful skate company in middle school but still encouraging me to try and learn! I come from a very “artsy” family.

My dad is a painter, my mother re-does furniture, my older sister is an illustrator, and my younger sister is a potter. Growing up around so much art and creativity of course fueled much of my own desire to pursue creative endeavors. My family has always been there and they have always been supportive of my art and pursuing it as a career!

I have been blessed to have many great people in my life, like Nick Sambrato from Mama’s Sauce Print Shop, who was a major influence on me and an encouraging voice during my time working with him.

John Thompson from Trevecca, and formerly of Capitol CMG was someone who helped guide part of my creative journey and set up opportunities for me to meet with other artists and music industry professionals and pick their brains and learn more about the music industry as a whole.

I would also be remiss to not mention Vince Wilcox, who was my academic advisor while at Trevecca, without his aide I wouldn’t have even been connected with Centricity Music in the first place.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://clarencewwbh.wixsite.com/portfolio
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clarencewwbh
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxCItvzrKWzRFTseFF6oYYQ
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@clarencewwbh?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc

Image Credits:
Isaac Owens and Crystal Martel