Becky Kelly
Encyclopedia
Rebecca Kelly, who publishes under Becky Kelly, is an American
watercolor illustrator
of over forty books, greeting cards, calendars and children's and baby's products. She was raised in West Virginia
and currently lives in Kansas City
, Missouri
.
and painter, on painting trips to the countryside. She won many local art competitions in high school
and went on to study painting
, illustration
, and design
at the Columbus College of Art and Design
in Ohio
, graduating with a Bachelor
of Fine Arts.
, leaving in 1992 to pursue freelance illustration. Due to her work's popularity, Hallmark eventually built an entire line of greeting cards and gift-related products under the product line 'Spoonful of Stars by Becky Kelly'. In 2001, she formed Becky Kelly Studios, launching her own line of licensed greeting cards and paper products, published under companies including Marcel Schurman's Papyrus division, Antioch Publishing and Peaceable Kingdom Press.
Over the years she has been a frequent contributor to award-winning children's magazines such as Ladybug magazine
, Spider (magazine)
, Cricket (magazine)
, and Weekly Reader
. She has also worked with educational publishers Scholastic, D.C. Heath, Grolier
, and Brown, among others.
Kelly has often worked with writer Patrick Regan to create popular gift books published by Andrews McMeel Publishing
that are consistently available at major retailers such as Borders Bookstores in the US, Indigo Books
in Canada
, and Amazon.com
.
in idyllic, fantasy-touched settings, such as a child sitting on a moon and child fairies engaging with animals. She frequently employs a soft color palette to create gently rich scenes that distinguish her unique style. A recurring theme
in her work are the family
relationships and friendships in a child's life.
and Dutch children's book illustrator Henriette Willebeek Le Mair, as influences.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
watercolor illustrator
Illustrator
An Illustrator is a narrative artist who specializes in enhancing writing by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text...
of over forty books, greeting cards, calendars and children's and baby's products. She was raised in West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
and currently lives in Kansas City
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
, Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
.
Early life
Becky Kelly began experimenting with watercolor painting in grade school and often accompanied her father, an architectArchitect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
and painter, on painting trips to the countryside. She won many local art competitions in high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
and went on to study painting
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
, illustration
Illustration
An illustration is a displayed visualization form presented as a drawing, painting, photograph or other work of art that is created to elucidate or dictate sensual information by providing a visual representation graphically.- Early history :The earliest forms of illustration were prehistoric...
, and design
Design
Design as a noun informally refers to a plan or convention for the construction of an object or a system while “to design” refers to making this plan...
at the Columbus College of Art and Design
Columbus College of Art and Design
Columbus College of Art & Design is a private college of art and design located in downtown Columbus, Ohio. Originally founded in 1879 as The Columbus Art School, CCAD is one of the oldest operating art schools in the United States...
in Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, graduating with a Bachelor
Bachelor
A bachelor is a man above the age of majority who has never been married . Unlike his female counterpart, the spinster, a bachelor may have had children...
of Fine Arts.
Career
After graduating, Kelly accepted a position as an illustrator at Hallmark CardsHallmark Cards
Hallmark Cards is a privately owned American company based in Kansas City, Missouri. Founded in 1910 by Joyce C. Hall, Hallmark is the largest manufacturer of greeting cards in the United States. In 1985, the company was awarded the National Medal of Arts....
, leaving in 1992 to pursue freelance illustration. Due to her work's popularity, Hallmark eventually built an entire line of greeting cards and gift-related products under the product line 'Spoonful of Stars by Becky Kelly'. In 2001, she formed Becky Kelly Studios, launching her own line of licensed greeting cards and paper products, published under companies including Marcel Schurman's Papyrus division, Antioch Publishing and Peaceable Kingdom Press.
Over the years she has been a frequent contributor to award-winning children's magazines such as Ladybug magazine
Ladybug magazine
Ladybug is an illustrated literary magazine for children ages 2 to 6. It is published in the United States by The Cricket Magazine Group/Carus Publishing Company, and appears 9 times a year, every month except for combined May/June, July/August, and November/December issues.Ladybug was founded in...
, Spider (magazine)
Spider (magazine)
Spider is an illustrated literary magazine designed for children from 6 to 9 years old. Started in January 1994, the magazine is published in the United States by The Cricket Magazine Group, which is owned by the Carus Publishing Company. The magazine publishes original short stories, poems,...
, Cricket (magazine)
Cricket (magazine)
Cricket is an illustrated literary magazine for children published in the United States, founded in September 1973 by Marianne Carus, whose intent was to create "The New Yorker for children." Marianne Carus still serves as the magazine's editor-in-chief.Each issue of Cricket is 64 pages...
, and Weekly Reader
Weekly Reader
Weekly Reader is a weekly educational classroom magazine designed for children in grades Pre-K–12. It began in 1928 as My Weekly Reader....
. She has also worked with educational publishers Scholastic, D.C. Heath, Grolier
Grolier
Grolier was one of the largest U.S. publishers of general encyclopedias, including The Book of Knowledge , The New Book of Knowledge , The New Book of Popular Science , Encyclopedia Americana , Academic American Encyclopedia , and numerous incarnations of The Electronic Encyclopedia .Grolier was an...
, and Brown, among others.
Kelly has often worked with writer Patrick Regan to create popular gift books published by Andrews McMeel Publishing
Andrews McMeel Publishing
Andrews McMeel Publishing, LLC is a company which publishes books, calendars, and related toys...
that are consistently available at major retailers such as Borders Bookstores in the US, Indigo Books
Indigo Books and Music
Indigo Books & Music Inc. is a Canadian retail bookstore chain. The company was founded in 1996 by CEO Heather Reisman, wife of Gerry Schwartz, majority owner and CEO of Onex Corporation....
in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, and Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...
.
Artistic style and themes
Kelly's illustrations often feature children enjoying natureNature
Nature, in the broadest sense, is equivalent to the natural world, physical world, or material world. "Nature" refers to the phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general...
in idyllic, fantasy-touched settings, such as a child sitting on a moon and child fairies engaging with animals. She frequently employs a soft color palette to create gently rich scenes that distinguish her unique style. A recurring theme
Theme (arts)
In the visual arts, a theme is a broad idea or a message conveyed by a work, such as a performance, a painting, or a motion picture. This message is usually about life, society or human nature. Themes are the fundamental and often universal ideas explored in a work. Themes are usually implied...
in her work are the family
Family
In human context, a family is a group of people affiliated by consanguinity, affinity, or co-residence. In most societies it is the principal institution for the socialization of children...
relationships and friendships in a child's life.
Influences
She has said that her illustrations are inspired by nature, her childhood in West Virginia and the children she observes in her life. She has also cited 1920s and 1930s children's book illustrations, as well as the Impressionists, Carl LarssonCarl Larsson
Carl Larsson was a Swedish painter and interior designer, representative of the Arts and Crafts Movement. His many paintings include oils, watercolors, and frescoes...
and Dutch children's book illustrator Henriette Willebeek Le Mair, as influences.
Awards and honors
- 2009 Gold Seal Award, Oppenheim Toy Portfolio AwardOppenheim Toy Portfolio AwardThe Oppenheim Toy Portfolio was founded in 1989 as the only independent consumer review of children's media by child development experts Joanne Oppenheim and her daughter Stephanie Oppenheim....
, for Garden Fairies In-A-Box - PKPress - 2007 Toy of the Year Award, Creative Child Magazine, for Secret Keeper Box - PK Press
- 2007 Gold Medal Winner, Best Illustrator, Independent Publisher Book AwardIndependent Publisher Book AwardThe Independent Publisher Book Awards , launched in 1996, are designed to bring increased recognition to titles published by independent authors and publishers...
IPPY Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards, for Heavenly Skies and Lullabies: Illustrated Songbook & CD, Kathy Reilly Fallon (Author), Frank Pellegrino (Author), Becky Kelly (Illustrator) - 2007 Bronze Medal, Book with Music/Theatrical, Independent Publisher Book AwardIndependent Publisher Book AwardThe Independent Publisher Book Awards , launched in 1996, are designed to bring increased recognition to titles published by independent authors and publishers...
IPPY Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards, for Heavenly Skies and Lullabies: Illustrated Songbook & CD, Kathy Reilly Fallon (Author), Frank Pellegrino (Author), Becky Kelly (Illustrator) - 2007 Honorable Mention, Children's, New York Book Festival Award, for Heavenly Skies and Lullabies: Illustrated Songbook & CD, Kathy Reilly Fallon (Author), Frank Pellegrino (Author), Becky Kelly (Illustrator)
- 2006 Gold Medal Winner, Illustration, DragonPencil award, for Heavenly Skies and Lullabies: Illustrated Songbook & CD, Kathy Reilly Fallon (Author), Frank Pellegrino (Author), Becky Kelly (Illustrator)
- 2004 Selected as "One of 50 Most Noted West Virginians in the Arts" for the book "Art & Soul: West Virginians in the Arts", 2005, Appalachian Education Initiative. ISBN 978-0976702108
- 1996 Distinguished Achievement Award, Association of Educational PublishersAssociation of Educational PublishersThe Association of Educational Publishers is an American professional organization for educational publishers. It is a non-profit organization and is active in public awareness campaigns on effective educational resources, as well as aiding communication between educational organizations, such as...
Awards