First Pick Painting

Raised in Rhode Island, Kelley graduated from the University of Rhode Island with a degree in Communications and a minor in Art. Subsequently, she attended the Rhode Island School of Design which fueled her passion for creative pursuits. After years of experimentation she found herself continuously drawn to painting. From the very beginning, art played a prominent and exciting role in her life, and she created and experimented with artistic endeavors as frequently as possible. Throughout a significant portion of her adolescence, Kelley contended with overwhelming adversities and struggled to maintain her pursuit of art on a consistent basis. Despite this, she desperately clung to the underlying threads that tied her to the world of art. She found work in creative positions on and off and eventually, after an intense internal battle, dedicated herself to the pursuit of art. She attended the Rhode Island School of Design, concentrating on graphic design, fine art and photography, including Documentary Photography. Simultaneously, Kelley harbored an intense love of painting and finally found the courage to let it become her prominent creative focus. She dedicates ceaseless time and energy to increasing her skills, ideas, tools, depth, and breadth of work. Her pieces reflect intense and persistent self-examination, determination, and hard work. After a lifetime of self-doubt, self-criticism, and shame, she embarked on a journey to explore her demons, and she uncovered that she had a strong voice and something to say. Her paintings are a very personal, deep, and expressive journey of her experience. Kelley continuously and fearlessly risks exposing the deepest parts of her inner world. She is unremitting in her pursuit to broaden and expand the bounds of her creativity and is constantly in a state of anticipation and excitement when envisioning the limitless possibilities of her creative abilities.