About

Kelly Berthely is an artist born and raised in Queens, New York. She attended the High School of Art and Design in Manhattan, commuting daily from Richmond Hill, and later earned an Associates degree in Illustration from the Fashion Institute of Technology. She also briefly studied Art of the Book at Purchase College.

She has lived throughout New York City in Queens, Brooklyn, and Manhattan as well as in Lompoc, California, before settling in Kalamazoo, Michigan.

Kelly works across a wide range of mediums, including digital illustration, linocuts, paint markers, gouache, pen and ink, and acrylic. She has also explored silkscreening, bookmaking, lithography, etching, and woodcut printing. Her practice is rooted in experimentation, often guided by emotional instinct rather than a fixed plan, allowing ideas to unfold naturally.

Drawing has always been a constant in her life. As a quiet only child, she spent much of her time creating and entertaining herself through art, surrounded by a family that also valued creative expression. One of her earliest memories of making art is drawing mermaids for her classmates in kindergarten despite being told to draw realistic sea creatures after an aquarium trip, she chose to draw what she wanted anyway.

Influences include manga, webtoons, anime, video games, slice of life moments, and her dear friends from across the globe online.

Her work is guided by feeling more than instruction. She hopes that when people encounter her art, they are moved in some way, or reminded of something in their own lives. Even a small moment of connection is enough.