ABOUT THIS EPISODE
What does it take to turn a childhood love of color into a thriving career in fine art? In this episode, we sit down with South Shore painter Jenny Kelley to trace her creative journey—from matching fabric swatches for iconic Cape Cod interior designer Joan Peters at age 15, to navigating the intense studio culture at RISD, teaching high school art, and eventually finding her voice as a painter of luminous, hyper-detailed floral still lifes.
Jenny opens up about the reality of balancing high-level studio work with early motherhood, why she took a year-and-a-half break from painting (and how it actually improved her work), and the exact technical process behind her jewel-toned florals on aluminum-backed linen panels. We also discuss finding strength in the local women-led artist community, trusting creative momentum, and why you never need to wait for life to slow down to make your art.
In this episode, we discuss:
The Joan Peters Influence: Hand-painting furniture and mixing acrylics to match custom fabrics on Cape Cod at age 15.
The RISD Experience: Surviving brutal critiques, the introvert-extrovert dynamic in art school, and finding your own lane outside abstract trends.
Teaching & Autonomy: Learning digital media on the fly and building eight years of hands-on art retreats at St. John Paul II.
Motherhood & Studio Shifts: Stepping away from the easel, falling in love with knitting, and returning to painting with fresh eyes and less overthinking.
Technical Breakdown: Working single-layer wet-on-wet with transparent pigments, mixing stand oil, ditching turpentine, and why Jenny paints on Artefex aluminum linen panels.
Community Over Competition: Showing with Arden Gallery on Newbury Street, curating local exhibitions at the James Library, and reading Rick Rubin.
Connect with Jenny Kelly:
Instagram: @jennykelleypaints
Gallery Representation: Arden Gallery (Newbury St, Boston)
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Support Creative Pathways Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit by donating. All donations bring art programming to Brockton youth.
Follow on Instagram: @creativepathwaysproject
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Music by Greg Loftus, find his work wherever you stream and visit The Lounge at the Brew in Falmouth for live shows.
Intro/outro song “Dog Days" by Greg Loftus used with full permission of the artist.
Licensor name: Greg Loftus
Licensor organization: Independent artist (self-owned copyright)
Licensor email: gregloftusmusic@gmail.com
