Kelly Arnold discovered her love of art in high school where she studied under a commercial artist. Her strong attraction to creating images led to taking classes in drawing, color and painting at the University in Maine at Orono. Kelly moved to Florida in 1986 where she worked in the printing industry for 10 years. Her work included all levels of pre-press, computer graphics and management of 7 people in that department.

In 1995, after having done several portrait commissions, Kelly decided to pursue a career as a full-time artist and teacher.

Her classes include a variety of art-related subjects and mediums and students range in age from 5-96.

She uses her enjoyment of painting skin tones with a sense of life, combined with an attraction to the medium of oil that has resulted in an extensive private collection of commissioned work. An ardent attraction to the outdoors has influenced many of Kelly’s portraits; including the series of lotus pads and her recent tropical paintings. A taste for vivid color and a strong sense of composition make her work delightful to view.

Personal Statement:

“Painting has given me a unique sense of myself. I want to share the beauty of living in a tropical climate through my work. With the artists tools of composition, line, shading, color and texture I can lead the viewer to a particular place of my choosing, creating a lot of interest along the way. My representational approach is meant to describe the image well and at the same time emphasize the elements I prefer to focus on. My hope is that my viewer will enjoy the image I create not just for a moment but also each time they travel through the piece.”