In 2005, Neely painted his first "Guardian" painting, a small angel image on found wood, for his mother. The painting was created in memory of his brother Erik Hudson Neely who died in 2000 from an epileptic seizure. His mother, Clare L. Neely wanted the piece to hang between the doorframe and the light switch in Erik's childhood bedroom. Neely gave his mother a few more of these angel paintings on found wood for her to give to friends. Neely began selling them after a request for 50 from a Spartanburg business owner who wanted to give them as a Christmas gift to his employees. Neely's Guardians have been sold nationally and internationally, but primarily in the Southern United States. Troubled by the feeling that they had become knickknacks, Neely stopped selling the Guardian angels for 6 months in 2008, and instead went back to giving them away, sometimes hiding them in various locations in the city of Spartanburg for people to find. Since he resumed selling these works in 2009, Neely has often received criticism from artists and art professionals that he should not paint as many of his Guardians or sell them so cheaply. In response Neely is quoted in saying, "I think any artist would be honored to have a work that can connect with people so powerfully." Neely has now painted more than 10,000 guardian angels on found wood. “When I’m working on a Guardian, I try to think to myself about what this could mean to the person who receives it,” Neely said. “When I catch myself in a moment of slipping out of that kind of awareness, I’ll just stop. The numbers aren’t important; it’s that I focus on the one.”
Education
Neely earned his Master of Fine Arts in Interdisciplinary Art from Goddard College in 2009. Neely holds the B.A. degree from Wofford College with a major in religion, graduating summa cum laude, first in his class, Phi Beta Kappa, Presidential International Scholar, and recipient of the Walter E. Hudgins Award for Intellectual Courage, Creativity, and Vision.
Career
Neely is the owner and creative director of the Wet Paint Syndrome Studio. He worked with the Success Initiative program at Wofford College from 2005 until 2010. He served as the Assistant Director of the program before being appointed as the Executive Director in 2007. At Wofford College, Neely has also served as the Director of Residence Life and the Director of Project Development in the Office of Student Affairs. In his time on the Student Affairs Staff, July 2005 - February 2007, Neely helped to envision, create, and pilot a number of innovations including the online housing lottery, living-learning communities, the First Year Interface website, and the IMPACT Wofford program. Neely taught 9th and 11th grade English at the Spartanburg Day School prior to his return to Wofford College. In 2014, Neely held an exhibit at the Martha Cloud Chapman Gallery in the Campus Life Building at Wofford College. The exhibit, called, "Iconic," featured pop culture icons as well as famous figures along with photographs of every people who are unnamed. Images are recreated—fractured, torn, presented in a unique and sometimes interactive style. As of 2017 Neely is at Spartanburg Methodist College teaching art.
Personal
A creative writer and a visual artist, Neely served as writer-in-residence and editor for Hidden Voices, a community-based art project sponsored by The Hub City Writers Project, the Spartanburg Arts Partnership, and Piedmont Care, Inc. Hidden Voices: Reflections from an Affected Community was published in October 2005 by the Hub City Writers Project. In his studio, he experiments with new media and found objects to create two-dimensional and three-dimensional art. In 2008, Neely presented his work in the Guild Gallery at the Chapman Cultural Center in Spartanburg. He also exhibited a series of works at Emory University in March 2011 titled "Into Your Hands: Post Modern Meditations on the Stations of the Cross." His oversize photographs of a Spartanburg water tower are on permanent display at the Spartanburg County Administration Building. In June 2006, he was invited to hang a two-month solo exhibition of paintings and photographs in the Martha Cloud Chapman Gallery at Wofford College. The exhibition was then moved for two months to the Spartanburg High School Gallery. Neely's work is represented in both local and regional galleries, and he has completed commissioned work for the Campus Safety Office, Carlisle Residence Hall, and the Success Initiative Center at Wofford College. In March 2008, Neely's poetry was featured in the anthology, Still Home, edited by Rachel Harkai. Neely was named the 2005 Unsung Hero by Piedmont Care at the 2005 South Carolina HIV/STD Conference held in Greenville, South Carolina, which honors courageous local efforts in the area of HIV/STD prevention, care and treatment services.
