A Love for Animals and Art: An Artist’s Journey

Kelley’s artistic talent went largely unknown for most of her life. Growing up, her doodles and artwork were on their own level, but no one was there to encourage or mentor her.

As an adult, Kelley raised her family on a 10-acre farm in central Indiana with dogs, cats, horses, birds, ducks, goats and even a peacock! There was no time for artwork, but plenty of time spent tending the farm where her love for all animals was the magic to instilling her children with a love and respect for all things living.

In 2016, Kelley and her husband moved to Akron, Ohio, just minutes from the beautiful Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Taking full advantage of this wonderful park opened up the world of wild animals and their natural habitat.

It was not until a 2017 trip to Washington DC, which included several visits and tours of the National Gallery of Art, when a switch got thrown, and Kelley took her step into the world of professional artistry. Kelley first experimented with watercolors, acrylics, oils, and different techniques such as pointillism. Kelley soon found herself awake at all hours, watching tutorials online, and her amazing talent of working with pastels, colored pencils, and graphite came to life.

Kelley has learned to meld her love of animals with her talent to create wonderful animal portraits. Most portraits take over 60 hours to complete; some portraits with detailed backgrounds can take up to 175 hours until she is satisfied with the piece. Kelley’s connection with animals is most evident when looking into her subjects’ eyes. Her depth of emotion and connection with each animal means that the eyes easily take hours to draw; after all, the eyes are windows to the soul.

Blessed with such talent, Kelley hopes to share it with you by celebrating your chosen pet photo, and turning it into a work of art. Your commissioned piece will be beautifully created through Kelley’s delicate and meticulous use of pastel, colored pencils, or graphite, and bring many smiles for years to come.

To learn more please visit www.KelleyButlerArt.com