"I am inspired by the formal techniques of the Old Masters, and my work transports the traditional genres of portraiture and the still life into the contemporary realm. My dedication to the understanding of principles of classical painting—composition, simplification of masses, manipulation of value and color—informs my process. Whether working on large-scale portraiture or more intimate still lifes, I strive to create compelling depictions of everyday subjects."
Kelly Carmody grew up in Topsfield, MA, and attended the Massachusetts College of Art in the mid-1990s. She furthered her studies at the Art Students League in New York City and the studio of Numael Pulido (1939-2022), where he taught her how to convey light on form. This understanding of how to portray light in a painting is fundamental to Kelly’s work. Pulido’s wife, Shirley Pulido (1932-2020), was also a tremendous influence. She taught Kelly how to use value and temperature relationships to create balance and interest in her paintings.
“I am inspired by the formal techniques of the Old Masters, and my work transports the traditional genres of portraiture and the still life into the contemporary realm. My dedication to the understanding of principles of classical painting—composition, simplification of masses, manipulation of value and color—informs my process. Whether working on large-scale portraiture or more intimate still lifes, I strive to create compelling depictions of everyday subjects.”
Kelly has exhibited at the Portrait Society of America and the Art Students League. She won 3rd place in the Portrait Society’s International Portrait Competition in 2014. Recently, she was selected for the 2015 BP Portrait Award Show at the National Portrait Gallery in London and the 2016 Outwin Boochever Award at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington D.C. In addition, the historic Guild of Boston Artists elected her to become a member in 2015, where she won the Edmund C. Tarbell Award in her first juried members show. In June of 2015, she received the Blanche E. Colman Award.
The following art publications have featured her work; American Art Collector, Fine Art Connoisseur, International Artist Magazine, Fine Art Today, Southwest Art, Studio Visit Magazine, Boston Magazine, and The Boston Globe.
Kelly has won grants from the Ludwig Foundation, Turkey Land Cove Foundation, Massachusetts Cultural Council, Edward G. McDowell Travel, and Walter Feldman.
During the Winter of 2022, Kelly began a new series of dancers and people socializing. Kelly says, “there was a yearning to be together with people again in a way that did not feel self-conscious. Dancing was the best way I could show to express that.”
Kelly’s work is on display in several New England galleries. She paints and teaches with her husband, Viktor Butko, in and around their Waltham, MA studio.
