Judy Kelly

February 2018

I am a plein air painter whose favorite subjects are old farms and rural landscapes. I show my work in paintouts all over my home state of Michigan.

I am represented by the Glen Lake Artists Gallery in Glen Arbor, Michigan and the Stonehedge Gallery in Elk Rapids, Michigan. My aspiration is to capture the landscape as it relates to people. As a former biology teacher, I encouraged my students to personally engage with their natural surroundings. This experience enabled me to better understand how people relate to the landscape which I capture in my paintings.

I enjoy working in a variety of mediums – oil, watercolor, pastel and collage and appreciate the challenge of laying out and executing the painting. Equally, I paint for the pleasure people experience when viewing my work. Many of my
paintings are done on site, in the plein air fashion. My technique starts with looking for interesting patterns of light, making a quick pencil sketch and taking digital photographs for future reference.

My parents encouraged my early passion for art while I was growing up on a farm in southeastern Michigan. From the time I took my first watercolor class at the age of 12, I was hooked. My path to fame began in high school when I designed and painted a 4’ by 8’ mural for the local elementary school. Over the years I have continued enhancing
my artistic skills by taking numerous workshops from artists such as Richard McKinley.