9 things you didn’t know about Kelly

One

I was born and raised in Evanston, IL. We lived within walking distance of Lake Michigan and spent many summers swimming at Lee St beach, even when the water seemed barely above freezing. Our golden retriever loved to swim as much as I did and would frequently sneak out of the house and take herself for a dip.

Two

When I was a teenager, I went on an Outward Bound-type trip to the Grand Canyon, Yosemite, and Four Corners region for a month. It was beautiful but incredibly challenging. The time I spent in Yosemite included some of the most rewarding and terrifying moments in my life. The rewarding part was climbing Half Dome and being greeted by a marmot at the summit. The terrifying part was when our camp was raided by a very angry bear. When we returned to camp one evening, we discovered that all of our bear-proof containers of food had been destroyed, as well as two tents. A park ranger informed us later on that momma bears like their cubs to use tents for target practice.

Three

Despite loving most outdoor activities, I was never very interested in playing sports in school. My parents found this incredibly disappointing. They were convinced that I wouldn’t get into college if I didn’t play at least one sport. I adamantly refused to try out for a team but proved my parents wrong in the end when I was accepted at Bryn Mawr College in PA.

Four

Throughout my life I’ve always loved creating art. When I was in high school, I took pre-college art classes at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago (the museum school, not the for-profit Art Institutes) on weekends, and eventually transferred there for college. I still paint frequently in my spare time. I love abstract art but also enjoy painting more figural subjects and landscapes.

Five

I moved to Denver in 2018. Unlike many of the transplants I met, I didn’t move there “for the weed,” but that was a plus! I mainly wanted more access to hiking, skiing, and inspiration for my artwork. My paintings were in a few shows over the next year. Unfortunately, the pandemic forced me to put that on hold for a while. I realized that I was fortunate to have embraced “the weed” and had gotten a job in the cannabis industry right before COVID hit. It’s been an interesting, unexpected journey ever since!

Six

I loved living in Denver. I met some truly amazing people and enjoyed the music scene out there a lot. That said, at the end of last year I decided that I wanted to move back to Chicago. I’d been in a long-distance relationship with my boyfriend (now husband) for a few years and we had developed a passionate dislike for the Denver airport. Something always went wrong when we flew back and forth to see each other. The Denver airport was always the culprit.

We got married last December at my friend’s home, which oddly enough was a former convent that was converted into condos. I found out on the day of our wedding that the convent had also briefly been owned by The Church of Scientology. That wasn’t really the vibe we were going for but it all worked out! My friend said this all took place back in the ‘70’s but they still receive mail from the church.

Seven

I love animals. Dogs in particular. Dog sitting has always been the best side hustle! I hope to have a dog of my own again soon!

Eight

I recently started working on a series of paintings of various endangered animals. So far my painting of a Kakapo is my most successful. I’m working on one of a slow loris at the moment. After that, I’ll probably paint a pangolin. I love getting suggestions on what to paint next!

Nine

Despite my average height and build, I used to be known as the “pushup queen.” I have unusually strong arms. During the fitness test in 8th grade, the gym teacher told me to stop doing pushups after I reached 50 because I was “embarrassing the boys.”