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About Me
Hello, I’m Reilly McClellan.
I live in Cedarburg Wisconsin with my awesome wife and two children. Painting is my way of creating something that brings peace and joy to those who see it. I try to capture the essence of the locations that I paint so the viewer can feel the breeze and smell the air. I have always been drawn to the natural beauty of our world. I recently started plein air painting and am excited to see where that takes me. I have been artistically inclined since childhood. I spent many summers with my grandparents, drawing endlessly in their basement. I took art classes all through high school at Waukesha South and some in college at UW Waukesha before switching to accounting. I graduated with a bachelor’s degree in accounting from UW Whitewater and followed that path for twelve years. I got back into art in late 2020 during the pandemic. Once I got into the swing of things again, my painting really took off. I decided in May of 2022 that I needed to devote my time entirely to art, so I left the corporate world and started a new adventure.
You can find my work at Plum Bottom Gallery in Door County, The Pink Llama Gallery in Cedarburg, the Mercantile Plaza in Port Washington, the Cedarburg Cultural Center’s Main Street Gallery and many other local places and art exhibits. I’m on the board of the Cedarburg Artists Guild and take part in organizing the Covered Bridge Art Studio Tour. I have had work exhibited at the Cedarburg Art Museum and the Miller Art Museum recently. I also participate in many fine art fairs during the year throughout Wisconsin and Illinois. I recently took first place at the Sturgeon Bay Fine Art Fair for two-dimensional art!
Aside from painting landscapes I’m an avid runner, rock climber, roller-skater, and enjoy spending copious amounts of time with my wife, daughter, and son.
Inspiration
What inspires me most is the natural beauty of our world. I'm drawn to the scenes that evoke a feeling that I can't describe. It's the feeling you get when gazing at a sunset and nobody is around and you're calm and at peace.
Techniques
I mostly use acrylic paints on canvas. I generally stay with the three primary colors, white, and sometimes black. I will use green paint from the tube if I have large areas and mix accordingly. I block in big shapes and go from there. I usually don't draw subjects before hand, I just dive in and paint. Faces and buildings I will sketch in quickly if needed. I use my acrylics almost like watercolor sometimes and usually spend six to twelve hours on a finished painting.
Career Highlights
1st Place Two-Dimensional Art - Sturgeon Bay Fine Art Fair 2022
January Artist in Residence at Cedarburg Cultural Center - Taught a realistic sunset painting class that was such a pleasure.
Won an "Award of Excellence" at Artigras 2023
Won an "Outstanding Achievement" award at Lincoln Roscoe Spring Art & Craft Fair 2023
