JEN KELLER ART

Well, 2016 was quite a year for the record books on many levels.  For myself personally, it was a year of growth, change, and positive creative endeavors. (Oh yeah, and the CHICAGO CUBS WORLD SERIES WIN! You have got to give this girl from Chicago her silver lining...) I was so thrilled to have officially launched my nursery art line, Keller Kiddo Designs , both on my website and later on ETSY .  It took a long time of germinating and experimenting but once I made the decision it has been smooth sailing ever since. I find the ideas come easily and I have such a backlog of sketches that it is hard to keep up!   Most recently I launched two new pieces right before the year ended both featuring mama/papa animals with their babies.   Mama/Papa Wolf with Pup   First I have an adorable wolf with a pup.  Wolf conservation is a passion of mine, and I thought what better way to convey the family culture of these misunderstood creatures to ...

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...

I am so excited to announce that my new line of art prints, Keller Kiddo Designs , is officially for sale on my website!  Bringing this style to the forefront of my creative body of work is absolutely thrilling. The work is fun, whimsical, and stays true to my own style of illustration. Every piece starts with a hand drawn image. Then I ink it by hand and finish the artwork digitally by choosing a tight color palate. This gives it a modern flare that would look great in any nursery or children's room.  The combination of a hand drawn style with a graphic color scheme make these pieces very versatile, fitting into any type of room design ranging from a soft classic look to a more contemporary feel that you see all over the marketplace today. I have started with two small collections.  My first one is called "Starry Night" and features lovable animals cozying up under the stars and moon. The color scheme is very simple ranging from dark blue, yellow and ...

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...