"Mudsies"

Oil and Paper on Panel

16"x20" framed

2024

ARTIST BIO

MA Art History, Temple University BA Fine Art, Elizabethtown College

After nearly 20 years, Kelly recently relocated back to her hometown of York, PA and shows her work both in Southcentral and Southeastern PA. Following college graduation, Kelly worked briefly as a photographer, then moved to Seattle WA, where she worked for several art galleries, as well as in advertising. She continued her advertising career in the Philadelphia region before pursuing another passion of hers, Art History. While obtaining her Master's Degree, she became immersed in the Wyeth's work and family history, spending a year with the Brandywine Museum of Art.

Kelly has recently focused on raising two young children, while continuing her volunteer work in the arts and education. Now that her children are in school, she has found more time to pick up her brushes again, and over the past few years has participated in numerous exhibitions in the South-Central Pennsylvania area. More recently, Kelly has started to show her work again in the suburbs of Philadelphia, while also remaining busy with commissions. She works out of her home studio, primarily in oil, and often brings in textured paper and cold wax as part of her layering process. Kelly takes an expressive approach with color and texture, seeking to tell dramatic stories of both awe-inspiring landscapes, as well as scenes from "the everyday" which are often overlooked. See more of Kelly's paintings on Instagram @kelly.nevin.lillie, or contact her at [email protected].

ARTIST STATEMENT

"Mudsies" is a comment on that point in childhood where you still want to play, but are becoming more aware of what others are thinking and perhaps a bit self-conscious. The little girl in the middle is wearing rain boots, splashing, playing in her surroundings, while the older figure on the left looks on indifferently, the one on the right, a bit judgmental. It is an image of innocence, as the small girl is still inside her head, soaking up little pleasures, not yet worrying about how she appears to the outside world. The title is a nod to my dad. When we would go on walks and spot a puddle, he would say, "Watch out for the mudsies!" even when I was a teenager, and I would laugh.