ABOUT KELSEY
Every toddler is given crayons and a blank piece of paper at some point. Coming from an artistic family color, designing, and creating were part of the everyday experience thanks to my Grandmother. As a talented artist herself she won a full scholarship to F.I.T. that her father would not allow her to accept, and sent her to Bryant and Stratton to be a secretary. She tells me that in the 50’s women were encouraged to either be nurses or secretaries but not artists. My Grandmother exposed me early on to more medias than the average kid my age. While, everyone else would tell me I was so talented, she would tell me what I needed to work on. I could always trust her for an honest assessment. She paid for my art lessons every summer since Elementary School. She let me know early that talent was a small part of what an artist needs to be successful, hard work with a little risk was key.
That point was driven home when I chose to do a painting that my Grandmother had decided was too demanding for her to take on herself. She helped me to enter the piece in the Erie County Fair and I won the Best of Show and the Directors Award, which had never been awarded to a junior in the 162-year history of the Fair. Since that moment, I often look to challenge myself in new ways and jump to do what others try to avoid. Risking negative criticism by trying new things and having both successes and failures has resulted in overall positive experiences for me.
Like my grandmother, my preferred media would have to be oils due to the wide range of applications it can be used. I will always make a piece using whatever materials I find most appropriate at the time, being well versed in many different types of media such as: pastels, colored pencils, watercolors, acrylics, charcoal, and graphite to name a few. I tend to learn towards realism because I enjoy doing all of the fine little details most people often miss, although currently I am trying to experiment with different approaches and styles.
I have discovered that the human figure, portraits in particular, are my muse, and it dominates my current body of work. I have always found portraits fascinating; you can learn so many things from the face of a person, if the road they have traveled is relentless and rough, or was it paved with velvet? Can you tell if this person is a seemingly joyful and careless chap by the laugh lines by the corner of their eye? Or in the deepest depths of their eyes does it tell a darker tale? We create identities for people that we pass by on the street or see in a picture frame. Is this for the reason that we want to feel less lonely, or maybe because we want to feel some sort of superiority over them? Whatever the case, every person’s face has a story behind it, and I want to share some of these stories.
CV
AWARDS
2022
St. Charles Fine Art Show
Chicago, IL
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Invitational Award
Art on the Square
Madison, WI
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Invitational Award
2021
4 Bridges Festival of the Arts
Chattanooga, TN
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Poster and Logo Winner
Lewiston Art Festival
Lewiston, NY
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First Place Painting
Lakeview East Festival of the Arts
Chicago, IL
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Lakeview East Poster and Event Logo
2019
Allentown Art Festival
Buffalo, NY
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First Place Allentown Poster Logo
2018
Allentown Art Festival
Buffalo, NY
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First Place: Allentown Poster Logo
East Aurora Outdoor Fine Arts Exhibit
East Aurora, NY
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Best of Show
Letchworth Arts & Craft Show
Letchworth State Park, Perry, NY
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First Place: Theme (Painting)
2017
St. Stephens Art Show
Coconut Grove, FL
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Third Place: Mixed Media
Allentown Art Festival
Buffalo, NY
-
Third Place: Painting - Realism
Letchworth Arts & Craft Show
Letchworth State Park, Perry, NY
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First Place: Theme (Painting)
2016
Park Ave Summer Art Festival
Rochester, NY
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First Place: Painting
Quaker Arts Festival
Orchard Park, NY
-
Best of Show
2015
Fairport Canal Days
Fairport, NY
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Best of Show
Allentown Art Festival
Buffalo, NY
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Third Place: Painting
Lockport Outdoor Arts & Crafts Festival
Lockport, NY
-
Best in Show
Lewiston Art Festival
Lewiston, NY
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Third Place: Mixed Media
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Honorable Mention: Graphic Arts & Drawing
Quaker Arts Festival
Orchard Park, NY
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Best of Show
2014
Allentown Art Festival
Buffalo, NY
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First Place: Painting - Realism
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Honorable Mention: Watercolor
Lockport Outdoor Arts & Crafts Festival
Lockport, NY
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First Place: Painting
Art on the Riverwalk
N. Tonawanda, NY
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Best of Show
Niagara Frontier Art Exhibit
Kenan Center, Lockport, NY
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Sheila Whalen Memorial Realism in Drawing
Quaker Arts Festival
Orchard Park, NY
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First Place: Painting
2013
Allentown Art Festival
Buffalo, NY
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Second Place: Drawing
Lockport Outdoor Arts & Crafts Festival
Lockport, NY
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Best of Show
Canal Festival of the Tonawandas
Tonawanda, NY
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Best of Show
Lewiston Art Festival
Lewiston, NY
-
Honorable Mention: Mixed Media
Quaker Arts Festival
Orchard Park, NY
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First Place: Painting
2012
WNY Young Artists Exhibition
Impact Artist's Gallery, Buffalo, NY
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First Place Award
-
Honorable Mention
Visual & Creative Arts 2012 Grad Show
Sheridan College, Oakville Ontario, CA
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Award of Excellence in Recognition of the Highest Achievement for Figurative 2D Work
Canal Festival of the Tonawandas
Tonawanda, NY
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First Place: Drawing
Niagara Frontier Art Exhibit
Kenan Center, Lockport, NY
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Sheila Whalen Memorial Realism in Drawing Award
Quaker Arts Festival
Orchard Park, NY
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Best of Show
2011
Creative Arts Show - Erie County Fair
Erie County, Hamburg, NY
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Directors Award
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Best of Show
-
Second Place in Plein Air Painting
Quaker Arts Festival
Orchard Park, NY
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First Place: Painting
2010
Young Women's Exhibition
Impact Gallery, Buffalo NY
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First Place
-
Second Place
Clarence High School Advanced Placement Art Show
Clarence, NY
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Clarence Arts Society Scholarship
Allentown Art Festivals Award Ceremony
Allentown, NY
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Allentown Village Society Art Scholarship
Art on the Riverwalk
N. Tonawanda, NY
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Honorable Mention
Niagara Frontier Art Exhibit
Kenan Center, Lockport, NY
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Sheila Whalen Memorial Realism in Drawing Award
EDUCATION
2016
Bachelor of Illustration, Sheridan College
2012
Visual and Creative Arts College Diploma, Sheridan College
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
DEC 2016
First Fridays, MJ Peterson Real Estate, Buffalo NY
APR 2016
The Neighborhood, Sheridan Illustration Grad Show, Toronto ON
SEP 2014
Buffalo Society of Artists 118th Catalogue Exhibition, Hi-Temp Fabrication Gallery: Buffalo NY
JULY 2014
Niagara Frontier Art Exhibit, Keenan Center: Lockport NY
OCT 2012
20th Annual WNY Artists Regional Exhibition, Art Dialogue Gallery: Buffalo NY
FEB 2012
WNY Young Artist’s Exhibition, Impact Artists Gallery: Buffalo NY
APR 2012
Visual & Creative Arts 2012 Grad Show, Marquee: Oakville ON
MAY 2010
Young Curators Show, Albright Knox, Buffalo NY
APR 2010
Young Woman’s Exhibition, Impact Artists Gallery: Buffalo NY
PUBLICATION
NOV/DEC 2014
Vol 29 | #5 Applied Arts Magazine – Student Awards