The Estes Family: A Culture of Artistic Excellence

Kelley Estes of Nashville is busy building her own family dynasty – one of fine artists. Kelley herself works across several mediums, though her unique affect is tangible throughout. She does marble sculpture, pastel, oil, and watercolor paintings, as well as interior design projects. Her interiors and sculptures are very harmonious, simple, and calming – a modern fusion of classic and shaker sensibilities.

On her website, she states that she seeks the delicate balance of natural materials and negative space, leaving only the essential. Despite this, Kelley’s work does not have a stark or lifeless quality.

In a recent Instagram post, Kelley described the process by which she creates her sculptures. They begin as a large marble block, and she progresses from grinder with a diamond blade to increasingly fine sanders to achieve the final result. Some of her sculptures are realistic and smoothly polished, bringing to mind Rodin. Others are conceptual and play upon texture and indistinct forms. 

Her website also displays two other selected projects. The first, Chateau de Chantilly, is an oil and pastel study of the chateau. The proceeds from this project went towards the restoration of the chateau and the grounds. The second is a more abstract, mixed medium set of paintings that reflect upon a year she spent studying poetry in hiatus from painting.

Her son, Chris, excels in oil portraiture. He was recently commissioned for a the for Vanderbilt University Medical Center. On his website and Instagram, you'll find other examples of his artwork.

Her daughter, Andie, has an Etsy shop called The Maison A, where you can buy some of her artwork. She primarily works with oil paints, although you will find that she also grows and sells rare plants! Some of Andie’s paintings have been placed in the interiors done by her mother.