Martin Kelley

Marty Kelley: Portraits

Exhibit dates: October 3 - November 8, 2026

Opening Reception: October 3-5pm

Martin Kelley: Author, Illustrator, Recovering Second Grade Teacher

I’m currently a children’s author and illustrator, but have, in the past, been a second-grade teacher, a baker, a cartoonist, a newspaper art director, a drummer in a heavy metal band, a balloon delivery guy, an animator, and lots of other things.  I’ll probably continue writing and illustrating children’s books for many years to come because there are few other jobs where being able to paint a perfect booger-bubble is an actual job requirement.

My career as an artist started when I began drawing historically accurate pictures of spaceships dropping bombs on dinosaurs. When I started going to school, I found even more artistic fulfillment in creating advanced character studies of my teachers. By the time I was a freshman in high school, I had a regular comic strip published in our local town paper. After high school, I attended The School of the Museum of Fine Arts to become an animator.

Shortly after art school, I had a career crisis and moved to Florida, where I went back to school and got my degree in elementary education. I taught second grade for several years before making the difficult decision to pursue writing and illustrating full-time.

I’ve written and illustrated many published children’s books, including: Almost Everybody Farts; Pugnapped; Experiment #256; Fall Is Not Easy; The Rules; Winter Woes; Summer Stinks; Twelve Terrible Things; A Cape!; and Fame, Fortune, and the Bran Muffins of Doom.

In my spare time, I visit lots and lots of schools all over the country to show students how I create my books.

Exhibit Description

Realism in Pigment and Pencil is a celebration of possibility. Subtle arrangements of graphite and watercolor pigments are combined to create stunningly realistic representations of the world around us. With a meticulous eye for detail, Martin Kelley uses the simplest of materials to create breathtaking works of realistic art.

Artist Statement

My work seeks to capture not just the look, but the personality or feeling of the subject. I create pieces that connect us to the world around us. Working in either pencil, pencil and chalk, or transparent watercolor, I search for ways to portray emotion, personality, and the very essence of my subjects.

Influenced by the masters of the past, but incorporating elements of contemporary masters, I have developed my own realistic style that forges a connection between the viewer and the artwork.