JEN KELLER ART

My apologies... I seem to have let my blog slip by during the spring and summer months. It's been a very busy season including teaching many art workshops, summer camps, and being promoted to the Art Director at Fox River Academy. As far as my work is going I have been full steam ahead. "Tennis Ball!",  Mixed Media, 2006 However the month of July took my breath away. My beautiful, sweet, smart, and loyal muse, Mattie the Border Collie, crossed over the rainbow bridge after giving me 13 years of joy (I had adopted her when she was only one year old).  Many of you knew her personally and others of you felt like you knew her from my work. Starting with my first Spring Show at the Academy of Art to being the main character in my thesis, Mattie was not only a fixture in my life but the inspiration for countless works of art. There is really something special about drawing someone you love.  It is a way to get to know them in a whole different way. I have put together a ...

This past few months have been pretty busy, between my workshops, creating new work, and some personal fun (Go Cubs!)... It's been a busy fall! A few weeks ago I was lucky to participate in my first Artisan and Craft Show.  It was so much fun and I got to meet quite a few great local artists...including another mom from my daughter's preschool.  I received some wonderful feedback on my work and some lucky folks walked home with some Jen Keller Art Cards and Keller Kiddo Designs Prints . I need to give a special shout out to the Coordinators at the Trees and Treasures Craft Show at the Wesley UMC here in Aurora for running everything so smoothly and even providing childcare for my little one. It was really a fun day and I hope to participate in more shows in the future.  I also have a few fun new pieces in progress right now and I hope to launch them before the holidays. Here's a sneak preview --  Follow JenKellerArt on Instagram to ...

Wow! Summer seemed to just fly by. With my daughter home from school we had a great time playing, traveling, and relaxing.  I'm so excited for the fall, however, and all of the new things that are happening... Labor Day weekend I kicked off a series of Illustration workshops being offered at The Fox River Academy of Music and Art.  We started with a basic Character Design workshop where the students learned how to create a character using basic visual storytelling techniques.  Since it was the first workshop I allowed the kids to work in any style they were comfortable with and let them design any character they wanted.  We ended up with some tough Manga/Anime girls and a nomadic canine. These kids did great! In future workshops we will focus on many different genres in the Character Design world, as well as doing some Creature Design, Children's Book Illustration, and Decorative/Greeting Card Artwork. Check out this great list of workshops in The Academy's mos...

It's been a busy and exciting start to the summer... First of all I'm so happy to announce my local gallery debut! I was thrilled to be able to participate in this month's First Fridays right here in my own backyard. The local gallery, If These Walls Could Talk , contacted me about participating in their June Group Show, The "J" Show , featuring artists with the first letter "J" in their name.  They did a beautiful job of hanging my work and displaying my prints for sale.  If you missed the big opening you can still come by the gallery and see my work. The show will be up until June 29th.  Don't miss it! Gallery Opening with my Biggest Little Fan!  I also have a two new pieces in my Keller Kiddo Designs art print line.  My first piece is from the "Playful Pups" Collection featuring a tiny and mighty Chihuahua and Dragonfly . Initially inspired by a friend who is a Chihuahua lover and just had a baby girl, I feel this piece speaks t...

I want to thank everybody out there who has given me so much support for my new children's art line. Things are running smoothly and I can't contain my excitement for this new avenue of work. One thing that I love about this style is its versatility.  It looks great with so many different interior decor themes. To show this I've been creating "Inspiration Room Boards" on Pinterest.  They are a great way of envisioning my work in real life with pieces from a variety of retailers.  I would love to invite everyone to follow this board and get inspired! I'm also happy to announce a new piece in my Starry Night Line - "Dog with Shooting Star" .   I wanted a dog piece to complement "Kitties in the Stars" and I also loved the idea of a dog with his head in the wind embracing his love of life.  What better way to do that than on a shooting star?  It's a fun concept that could find a home in any children's rooms. This little g...

Well, it's been little over a year since our move to Minnesota, and we have found ourselves on the road again. The journey has come full circle and we have landed in the Chicagoland area!  After growing up in the southwest suburbs and living in the Windy City of Chicago for almost 10 years, I am very excited to move back. It has taken a little while, but my studio is finally set up and this time around -- I'm sharing it with my little protege! What better way to get inspired to do children's art by sharing my creative space with my own kiddo's crafty corner. I am also happy to report I've been busily working on that Nursery/Children's Art line, finding inspiration everywhere.  I'm hoping to have a new shop on ETSY featuring my work and perhaps a few other venues - plus a NAME! It seems to be one of the most challenging parts of the process. One of my favorite pieces I've been able to do is for another new little baby who entere...

Hello friends! For the past few months I've been finding inspiration everywhere... including new babies! I have some special people in my life that have new little ones joining their families and I felt inspired to create artwork for them. Beautiful Mama Linda with Baby Finn, 3 months old.  I also decided to use this opportunity to expand my digital artwork.  I first used this style while working on cover art for the EXPLORE! series at Nomad Press. I really liked the modern graphic look of these pieces and I felt it would be perfect to start exploring a Children's/Nursery Art Line. Compared to the watercolor style I had been using in the past, this style is a little more commercial and also versatile.  Every piece starts with drawing and inking by hand, so it still has my personal touch and doesn't feel so generic. Next I convert the inked piece to a digital line and color the piece with a little more of a flat graphic color style. My first piece start...