The opening of Jeff Skele’s first solo show, “It’s Been Too Long,” at Kettle Art Gallery in Dallas, TX.

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‘It’s Been Too Long’ is a reflection of my emotional state over the course of the past 6 months. It’s all about personal growth and failure, which is represented by recurring themes found throughout this body of work. For me the rainbows represent the good days, the bright days, the highs. The black clouds represent the darkness that looms. I often feel like I’m the main subject matter in the piece - I’m just painting myself over and over again, trying to reach that rainbow while sifting through the clouds.

I had many titles that I was working through, but I kept coming back to ‘It’s Been Too Long’ because it describes so many aspects of my life. It's been too long since I’ve been back to Deep Ellum. It’s been too long since others have gotten to experience my work. It’s been too long since I’ve gotten to experience people experiencing it. It’s just been too long.

It’s fitting that ‘It’s Been Too Long,’ my first solo show, is opening at Kettle Art Gallery. Frank and Paula gave me the space - 9 years ago - to embrace life as an artist and I’m honored to be able to continue to work with them.