Today we’d like to introduce you to Kellie Delaney.
Hi Kellie, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Thanks for having me! Hi, I’m Kellie Delaney, and I paint. I have always loved art. Even from a young age, I was always doing some kind of craft or project. Growing up, Bob Ross was a staple in my household. Who wouldn’t love his soothing voice and baby squirrel guests? I also had the best art teacher in high school, Miss Souve; she really went above and beyond for her students. She made sure every medium was open to us and that every supply was available. In her class is where I found my love for acrylic, and my loathing for graphite. She also opened doors for us to share our work in shows, and really put ourselves out there. Between she and Bob Ross, I guess I just had great mentors from the start.
Later, I decided to go to college for pastry, hoping to transfer my art into desserts. The last ten years I’ve worked in various bakeries and restaurants. Most of these years were spent doing plated desserts, and eventually wedding cakes. It was particularly helpful having an art background for those.
Creating art at home very rarely happened, until about four years ago. I missed painting, and one day, randomly painted a portrait of my dog, Layla. Surprisingly, people at work loved it, and I began to get pet portrait commissions here and there. Then, over the next few years, the requests really started to come, and it wasn’t just for pets. I started to paint for fun again, which mainly included pop culture and fantasy portraits. I even had my first solo show at Lil Indies, curated by Heidi.
Honestly, working in restaurants and bakeries helped me significantly over the years. Being in that huge, but also close knit community, got my name out there.
My market partner, Kill ’em with Cuteness, worked with me at a bakery. She introduced me to the owners of Prometheus Esoterica, where I get to display and sell my fun, spooky pieces. Owls Attic, where I’m beginning to do 60s/70s pop culture pieces, is because of another bakery coworker who shopped there very often.
Recently, I was super fortunate to paint a mural for The Pet Alliance that raised money for their auction. I was introduced through a sous chef I worked under.
Currently, I am working with Sue Chin of Good Salt Restaurant Group, painting murals at their restaurant, Reyes Mezcaleria. Seven years ago, I worked pastry at one of their other concepts. I am very lucky to have these relationships.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Oh, absolutely not. Working full time in a mass production bakery, while painting late into the night was becoming exhausting. If you ever want a full body workout, have a go at making a few thousand biscuits.
The pandemic hit during this time, and early in my pregnancy with my daughter.
As everyone knows, restaurants took a huge hit, and many were laid off, myself included. I was able to go back for a few months before my daughter was born, but by that time, had decided to stay home with her and pursue art full time. Terrifying.
Having a brand new baby combined with holiday orders was a real treat.
Overall, it’s really been great and I am truly happy. I get to do what I love and it’s the best feeling that other people want my art in their lives. My daughter even goes on most deliveries with me and has seen the post office more than any other place at this point.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am an artist specializing in portraits, both human and animal. Fictional characters and creatures are definitely my favorite, and a lot of my work is pop culture related. Recently, I have been dabbling in digital art. It is taking some time to get used to and figure out, but I love it. My work is known for being almost cartoon like, with bright accents and bold outlines.
I am very proud that I have finally started doing murals, it was always a dream of mine. In the future, I hope to get more; painting on a large scale is really fun. I would also love to design book covers and jackets. I’m an avid reader and follow a lot of fantasy book artists; I think they are so cool.
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
Overall, I think a good attitude and patience is key. Especially with commissioned work. I’m making a person’s idea come to life, so there will be revisions from time to time…as well as blurry photos. For the most part, everyone I have worked with has been wonderful. I’m just excited they want my art, and trust me with their vision. And, as I talked about before, my working relationships over the years. I owe a lot to those.
Contact Info:
- Website: kelliedelaneyart.com
- Instagram: Instagram.com/kelliedelaneyart
- Facebook: Facebook.com/kelliedelaneyart
