Kelly was born & raised in New York’s Hudson River Valley. Her surroundings have had a major impact upon the way that she finds her inspiration. Growing up with the ability to appreciate the works of the masters that grace the walls of the many museums of Manhattan, as well as the chance to sit in the peacefulness of nature fed her creative soul from early on. Even now, the ever changing beauties of the natural surroundings never fail to act as her muse!

In 2001, as a newly wed wife to an Army officer, she was blessed to have had the opportunity to live in Hawaii for several years. The islands continued to inspire her to look towards nature for beautiful color combinations, studies of texture and balanced compositions of the natural world and the man made world. The military lifestyle taught her to strive to capture the emotion and sentiment in the moment; to appreciate every second that we are blessed to have on this earth.

Recently, she has returned to New York and currently lives in Westchester County with her incredibly supportive husband, her often inspiring daughter, and her furry studio companion, Tina the cat. Her roles of artist, mother and wife always blur together and often overlap... and she loves that!

What is in store for Kelly in 2011?

Kelly has expanded her horizons by being open to the possibility of her world of art, illustration and design colliding with her love of photography. She approaches her photography in the same manner that she does a sketch or drawing. For a brief moment, in a snapshot, she invites you to see the world as she sees it- perfectly composed, complimenting colors, and contrasting textures all coming together to capture an emotion and a moment in time. She finds great importance of finding her subjects in their natural state. Whether her subjects are children, adults, wildlife, landscapes or a still life- they all have beauty at any given moment, and she finds great joy in capturing that beauty and sharing her world with her viewers.

To find out what Kelly is working on at the moment, or to see her most recent inspirations and thoughts, please feel free to follow her on her blog.