Troy Kelley, a native Texan, is a sculptor living and working in Salado, Texas, a small artist community located fifty miles north of Austin.
Troy received his undergraduate degree in Art Education from Midwestern University and a graduate degree from the University of Maryland. He has studied in Italy, Germany, Prague CZ, and the Corcoran School of Art in Washington, D.C.
When Troy moved to Salado in 1984, he created Sirena the Mermaid that was placed in Salado Creek. Sirena has become the icon of Salado. In 2017 a photo of Sirena and her legend was published in the book titled, “Mermaids of Earth”. The book features Mermaid statues from all across our planet by Philip Jepsen. (www.mermaidsofearth.com) The Legend of Sirena has prompted additional public art creations such as the Salado Legends outdoor theater performance. Her legend has also led to the recently created Sirena Festival and has prompted open discussions by Village Alderman of naming a Salado public park as Sirena Park. Troy’s work is usually realistic, covering a variety of subjects in cast bronze. However, recently he has been creating a series of sculptures cast in clear urethane, which have been very well received. His monumental-sized sculptures include two seven-foot bronze figures for Killeen Regional Airport and a seventeen-foot tall monument for the Bell County Museum depicting the journey “Up The Chisholm Trail“. His piece “Christ The Good Shepherd”, a six-foot bronze figure, was selected as the outdoor sculpture for Seton Medical Center in Harker Heights, Texas, and was installed in 2012. Other locations to see his “Christ the Good Shepherd” are in front of the Salado United Methodist Church and in the main Sanctuary of the Arborlawn United Methodist Church in Ft. Worth. Troy also arranged for the placement of the 4th ID sculpture located on Ft. Hood. He has a total of eighteen public sculptures throughout the United States.
His design, “5 November 2009, Ft Hood Memorial” was selected to represent the victims and the wounded of that tragedy. It is located in Killeen on W.S. Young between the Shilo Hotel and the Killeen Conference and Civic Center. He has completed sculpting and casting fifteen personalized bronze sculptures to honor the victims. Because Troy is a Vietnam Veteran and has a strong affection for service members and the sacrifices they make for our freedom, he is donating his design concept, time and sculpting talent to this memorial. (Materials and foundry casting cost are paid by funds collected). He has also donated his time and talent in designing the Vietnam Memorial which is located in the Central Texas State Veterans Cemetery, on Hwy. 195, Killeen, Texas. Troy created a seven and a half foot (7.5) portrait figure of “LTC James Earl Rudder” in his combat uniform which will be placed in LTC Rudder’s hometown of Brady, Tx. A current project of Troy’s is carving two large stones covered in hearts, linked together with chains and locks with the title, “Locks of Love”, for Salado.
Troy enjoys painting in a style he refers to as freewheeling abstract expressionism. He also has completed some abstract sculptures. “Handicapped Mask“, “Prometheus“, and “QR Code“, can be viewed in the new Salado Sculpture Garden.
Troy’s latest shows include his One Man Show at the Kemp Center in Wichita Falls, Texas. Troy has additional works in progress at New York University; Venice; Italy; Texas One Hundred, Salado, Texas; and Loveland Sculpture Invitational, Loveland, Colorado. Prellop Fine Art Gallery, Salado, Texas, exhibits his work. Troy’s work is in numerous private and public collections.