Lorraine Kelly
Artist
Lorraine Kelly grew up in London, Ontario. As a child, in grade school, she received her first “art award” for “Best Artist in Grade eight. Her most recent award was the recognition of “Best in Show” at the Niagara Falls Art Gallery.
Early in her career she worked as a research lab technician at Western University, London, Ontario and then in the cytogenetics department at McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario.
She lived in England for 13 years, where she perfected the art of watercolour painting. Her work was shown in galleries and she taught watercolour classes. While living in the United States for two years, she attended various schools of art broadening her use of materials and subjects. One of her biggest influences was attending a Georgia O’Keefe workshop in New Mexico and the other was living in Singapore for 8 years. All the bright colours of Asian life, high humidity and bright sunlight made her switch to oils and acrylics.
Her strongest inspiration comes from the colour of her surroundings. Living in the different countries had made it very evident that this is true for her. Not only did her medium change but also her colour palette.
Lorraine entered many group shows, both indoor and outdoor, and had three solo exhibitions. The last solo exhibition being, “Beyond the Blue”, hosted by the Niagara Pumphouse Art Centre and available to view on youtube.
She is self taught, influenced by many artists and cultures. She often says, “Learn as much as you can from others but still have the courage to make it your own.”