Bio
Kelly’s artist journey started at an early age when she began experimenting with markers, scissors, paints, paper, and glue. A love of color, texture, and the visual richness of life have all contributed to her lifelong pursuit of creating art. Acrylic paints, gels, And pastes; collage, photographs, and photo transfers are some of the materials and techniques she now uses to create abstract art in her home studio.
Private instruction with artist teachers over the years, and group workshops on methods and techniques in mixed media has helped to develop kelly’s Approach to creating art. She Also participates in an ongoing critique group and for many years attended an annual artist retreat in North Adams, massachusetts. beginning in November, 2017, she has participated in an annual week-long residency workshop at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art.
Kelly exhibits her work throughout the year at juried art shows, the arts center east gift shop, and Wesleyan potters annual holiday sale. Her work resides in private collections throughout the United States, as well as in public spaces: Hartford hospital, hartford, connecticut; the copper beech institute, west hartford, connecticut; and Green lotus salon and wellness in cromwell, connecticut.
in addition to her studio work, Kelly is a long time volunteer at arts center east, a community arts center in vernon, connecticut. She is a signature artist member at arts center east, and in 2023 was elected to the connecticut women artists council as membership chair.
her longstanding interest in promoting adoption over shopping for companion animals led to the development of her one-of-a-kind collage art cards under the name, "little dog art". Kelly's other interests include keeping a garden, taking photographs on her walks with little dog Tasha, and taking drives with husband norm and Tasha to find the best places to stop for ice cream.
memberships:
Syntax mixed media artists
arts center east
new haven paint and clay club
Connecticut women artists
awards:
-Patricia rosoff foundation abstract art award, 3rd place, 2015
-arts center east, on and of paper juried show, merit award, "thoughtful", 2016
-arts center east, the art of abstraction juried exhibit, honorable mention award, "abundance, 2016
-maple and main gallery, annual juried show, honorable mention award, "vulnerabilities". 2016
-arts center east, 6th annual multimedia juried exhibit, honorable mention award, "burning bush", 2017
-arts center east, people and places juried exhibit, merit award, "undercover beach walkers", 2017
-arts center east, 6th annual photography juried exhibit, honorable mention, "blue series", 2018
-arts center east, 7th annual multimedia juried exhibit, merit award, “true blue”, 2018
-arts center east, 7th annual juried photography exhibit, honorable mention, “angles and lines series No. 1, 2 and 3”, 2019
-arts center east, mixed greens juried mixed media exhibit, 3rd place award, “just my imagination”, 2019
-Connecticut women artists annual juried members show, 2nd place award, looking deeper, 2020
-new haven paint and Clay club annual national juried exhibit, 1st place for angles and lines, no. 1, 2020
-new haven paint and Clay club annual active members juried exhibit, 2nd place, looking deeper, 2020
-new haven paint and clay club 123rd annual juried show, The community foundation prize for some don’t see me, 2024
residencies
MASSACHUSETTS MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART: RESIDENCY WORKSHOP October 26 - NOVEMBER 1, 2017
MASSACHUSETTS MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART: RESIDENCY WORKSHOP APRIL 24 - 31, 2019
massachusetts museum of contemporary art: residency workshop
june 15 - june 21, 2022
massachusetts museum of contemporary art: residency workshop May 3 - May 9, 2023