
Kelly Witmer
Yucca Valley, CA
Kelly Witmer is an artist splitting her time between Los Angeles and Joshua Tree, CA.
MessageKelly Witmer earned her BFA at University of the Arts in Philadelphia and Parsons in Paris, and currently splits her time between Los Angeles and Joshua Tree, CA. Witmer has taught her technique of kiln-formed glass at Anderson Ranch, and has attended residencies at Watershed Center for Ceramic Arts in Maine, Atlantic Center in Florida, and Can Serrat in Spain. She has completed several public art projects in Los Angeles, Santa Rosa, and the San Diego International Airport. She had a solo show in 2024 at Museum of the Southwest in Midland, Texas and a two person show at Oceanside Museum of Art West Gallery in 2025.
Statement
Using timeless materials such as glass, ceramic and metal, my artistic practice explores the delicate boundary between control and surrender. I've developed a technique that pushes these materials to their limits—melting sheets of glass into ceramic or steel forms, using gravity to catch them at precise temperatures where transformation occurs but before breakage. This investigation has evolved to incorporate larger scales and the integration of salvaged car components, creating a dialogue between organic and mechanical forms.
Symmetry anchors my compositions, reflecting the human body and our deep connection to the machines that have become extensions of ourselves. Through my evolving language of forms, I’m influenced by both external landscapes and internal territories. My work often grapples with personal experiences of illness affecting my reproductive system, the process of aging, and my shifting perceptions of femininity.
By combining industrial elements with fluid, body-like forms, I create sculptures that speak to our shared vulnerabilities and the evolving relationship between human physicality and mechanical enhancement. The careful manipulation of heat and gravity in my process mirrors these themes—a constant negotiation between strength and fragility, control and release. The glass shapes act as windows, escalating the level of voyeurism for the viewer, inviting them to contemplate their own relationship with change, adaptation, and the increasingly blurred boundaries between the organic and technological worlds.