TJ Kelley’s “Between the Rent and Me”

Our good friend and wildly talented artist TJ Kelley has been quite busy lately. The Boston-based skater recently made his curatorial debut a few months ago with a large and successful show at the Distillery Gallery called Your Ticket Out, and has since been cranking out a massive body of work for his solo show, Between the Rent and Me, at Boston skate hub, Orchard.

TJ primarily paints multi-panel assemblages on canvas and found objects – he even created a mini quarter pipe to connect to one of his pieces. His use of bright colors and reminiscent imagery contrast the somewhat foreboding tone of his work. His deep-rooted relationship with skateboarding and music play an intrinsic role in his work, offering a wide cache of imagery that emphasize the convergence of the two, and a unique attitude and style that runs through each piece of his new series.

The show not only featured his collection of new works, but also four new screen printed pieces, a zine, and a new Orchard tee graphic.

Check out photos of the show going on now at the extension gallery in Orchard’s Allston shop through the end of the month.

All photos thanks to Sumiah Salloum.