Biography

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Yvonne M. Kelly, a native Californian, was educated at the Sacred Heart School of San Francisco and the California School of Fine Arts ( now the  San Francisco Art Institute ). After relocating to Philadelphia, PA she continued to study at the Phiadelphia Museum of Art as well as several  suburban local art centers.
 

Prior to devoting all of her time to her artwork she had over 20 years of experience in the Interior Design field specializing in painted designs, faux finishes and painted furniture in the style of the Isabel O'Neill Studio of New York. She was an organizer of the first Designer Show House in Philadelphia, PA.
 

Yvonne M. Kelly's  "Reverse Glass" and hard edge works, on woods and metals,  were truly remarkable. However it is her style called "Paperworks" that are the most innovative. Her papers were hand made,  imported or sometimes found. The papers are rolled, tucked, folded and  made to stand out from their surface or lie flat and smooth so the texture of the paper itself can be enjoyed. They are overlaid or peeking at you. They can be slick or matte finished. These works often contain objects that are wired or dangle, ebb and flow, which tease and promise the observer a never ending delightful journey.
 

In the artist's words...." The Medium of paper requires study, adjustment and experiment to fully understand the factors involved. For example, the properties of hand made papers versus machine made papers. The possibilities of fading or outgasing of the pigments, the ph of the  papers and how they react with each other. The proper adhesive is most important as I often try to achieve the effect of paper hanging freely within the picture space yet firmly attached to insure a lasting quality."
 

During her many active years as an artist she exhibited her works and won several awards. Yvonne M. Kelly's  art has been featured at Abington Art Center, Abington, PA, Woodmere Art Museum, Chesnut Hill, PA  and the Phiadelphia Museum of Art, Phiadelphia, PA .
Her paintings are held in many private and corporate collections in  California, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Georgia, Louisiana and Florida.
Some pieces have been reproduced on magazine covers and posters.
 

After her death a retrospective of her " Paperworks' was exhibited at the Abington Art Center in Abington, PA. Presently there are annual art awards given in her name, to aspiring new artists, at Abington Art Center and Woodmere Art Musuem in Pennsylvania and Sacred Heart School  of San Francisco, California.