Kelley Smith
Kelley Smith is a third generation Arizona native. After
raising
five very creative daughters, Kelley attended Scottsdale
Community
College where she received numerous scholarships, including
the
Helen Bychinsky Artist of Promise award. Her essay on art education
won a partially funded trip to Italy and Greece. The college then
sponsored her first one woman show. Kelley proceeded to attend Arizona
State University to continue her art training.
At that same time, Kelley was honored to receive the Scottsdale
Artists
League Scholarship for emerging artists, which started her involvement
in art organizations in the valley. Kelley helped found
and is on the
board of the Arizona Art Alliance and was instrumental
in the formation
of the art classes taught to incarcerated youth at the Southwest
Juvenile Corrections Complex in Buckeye. For this service, she was
awarded as a nominee for Arts in Education for the 25th
annual Arizona
Governor's Art Awards.
In past years, Kelley has been on the boards for the Arizona Pastel
Association, Arizona Artist Guild and Scottsdale Artist League.
Kelley's art has hung in several galleries in Arizona and New Mexico.
She participated in First Fridays in Downtown Phoenix, The
Celebration
of Fine Art and The Sonoran Art League's Hidden in
the Hills shows.
Currently, Kelley continues to paint for commission from her studio
at
home and teaches private and group classes on drawing and
painting with
oils and pastels. She continues to volunteer teaching
art for youth
group and elementary schools in the greater Phoenix, Arizona valley in
addition to working as an event designer and
jewelry artist.
Artist Statement:
"With half of the world full of creepy people doing even creepier
things, I purposely choose to concentrate on the other half. There
are a
tremendous about of good people and things even in this
troubled world
of today. I may be too old to sound "Pollyanna-ish",
but choosing to see
the positive is how I stay sane. I continue to find excitement in
painting these good things with slightly pushed colors,
and the shear
act of placing brush strokes onto canvas to create
shapes and textures
is exhilarating for me. I receive a tremendous amount of joy
interpreting the beautiful things in my life, even if it
is just by
painting a piece of fruit. It's as simple as that."
Fine Artist in Pastels & Oils
Contact: 623-242-7937
kelleysmithart@hotmail.com
www.kelleysmithart.blogspot.com
www.lifeandartwithglammafabulous.blogspot.com
14326 W. Christy Drive
Surprise, AZ 85379
Biography
