KATHLEEN KELLY, a Raleigh native, is an artist and designer focusing on a fusion of handcrafted collaging and digital imaging, creating high impact pieces exploding with color and energy. Her artistic career began young and has only flourished. After discovering her love of design, she completed a bachelor’s in graphic design from Meredith College. With a lifelong love of fabric, she completed her master’s degree at the NCSU College of Textiles and had the honor of designing the Pack Plaid, the official NC State tartan registered in Scotland. Since 2015 Kathleen has pursued a career in knit product development designing fabrics and products for the global bedding industry which has only bolstered her artistic endeavors. Freelancing since 2007, she has used her creative abilities to generate income while further developing her profession and craft.
Kathleen’s art is an observation and analysis of visual impact. How do texture, color, level of detail and composition affect space and the perception thereof? Her creations begin as hand crafted collages incorporating materials from pen, paint and ink to newsprint, photography and scanned matter. The initial collage captures the overall composition and, when complete, is digitized for further work through her unique digital imagination. These creations are a synthesis of decades of practice and development resulting in an ever-expanding collection of bold visuals and dimensional worlds termed Artscapes.
Kathleen’s work has been juried into shows including Lake City, South Carolina’s Artfields, Raleigh’s own Artsplosure and International Bluegrass Festival as well as LA’s alternative art show, Pancakes and Booze. In addition to focusing on her craft, Kathleen has been pursuing the world of art licensing with hopes of landing her artwork on real products in the marketplace
