Mojo Weaver & John Kelley

mojo:
Mary Jean Crenshaw Weaver grew up in Birmingham, Alabama. Influenced by family artists and with a great love for animals, “Mojo” recalls constantly drawing and coloring as a child. Her drawings of her favorite subject, her pet Schnauzer, were all over her house, at the state fair and etched on her desks at school! After receiving a master’s degree in Finance from the University of Alabama, Mojo realized that she had begun to neglect the dominant side of her brain- the creative one! She took art history classes, drawing with Al Sella and painting workshops with David Leffel, Cheri Christensen, and Quiang Huang. Inspired by Tuscaloosa artists Jack Leigh and Evan Wilson, Mojo’s love of nature, animals, and the intimacy of simple settings grew into a passion for seeing light and shadows play across shapes and forms.

“I find an intimacy with the simplest of creatures and settings. When light falls across these subjects, I feel a spiritual sense of joy and am reminded of God’s creativity.”

john:
John’s very first gallery show was at the Kentuck Gallery in 1998. He also participated in the Kentuck Festival for over ten years.

When asked about his work, John replies, "I paint so that I don't have to use words, and my favorite part of being an artist is watching the viewer respond to my work based on their own life experience.” John creates most of his work in an isolated studio hidden in a little wooded cove filled with the things he loves: toads, rabbits, fox, deer, woodpeckers, tree’s, family, Elwood (dog), chickens, and ducks… really loud ducks.

John has won many awards, including the Award of Excellence at the Oil Painters of America Eastern Regional Exhibition in 2015, Grand Prize at the 11th annual Energen Art Competition in 2010, and Best of Show for the Alabama Pastel Society (Regional Show) in 2001.