Kelly is a self taught artist who re-found her talents only in her mid 40’s. She lives with her husband and two big dogs in rural Devon in the south west of the UK.
“When I was young I loved to draw and paint, but I couldn’t see that there could be a working future for me doing that. So I put it all to the back of my head for 29 years and got on with building another career for myself. Then suddenly in my mid 40s I started to draw again, totally out of the blue. And I’ve not stopped since.
I’ve also been a collector of old books and illustrations all of my life, so it’s been a natural progression to start to combine this passion with my artwork. I adore using forgotten old books and bringing them back to life by putting images onto them. And I also enjoy taking old illustrations and repurposing them digitally to create new images.
I find inspiration all around me and I am forever taking pictures and typing ideas onto my phone. I’m a lover of the absurd and whimsical which I think comes across in my artworks, and of course I’m a huge animal lover, so many of my artworks feature animals in absurd situations.
Nowadays I mainly work digitally, creating my images straight onto the computer screen, and enjoy working in a few different styles.
Living right by the sea means that inspiration for coastal style work is literally on my doorstep and so some days I find myself creating nautical images that invoke thoughts of warm summer breezes and balmy evenings year round. Whilst other days, I might find myself creating a rabbit dressed up like a regency style dandy.
Working digitally allows me to work in great detail and includes elements that will never be seen, but I like to know that they are there… hidden away. Occasionally some of my characters have things under their hats or in their pockets. Finishing a picture digitally gives me the ability to work with secret layers of knick-knacks and keepsakes that belong only in the 2D world of the image I am creating.
My foxes always check their pocket watches when you’re not looking!”