Renee Kelly is interested in untold stories concerning subjective human experiences often missed or ignored. Exploring hidden realities, the stories she tells are lesser known tales, the fragments of realities that went unnoticed in favor of ones more easily seen. By portraying pieces of these different realities instead of the external reality already known to exist, Renee strives to translate inner human experiences to a more universally relatable sense.
Born in San Francisco and raised in the Bay Area, Renee began drawing as a child, inspired by her grandfather’s paintings. She graduated from San Francisco State with a BA in Media Arts Communications and worked as a Continuity Director and Traffic Manager at various Bay Area media companies such as KIOI, KFOG, CNET Networks, and SF Magazine. During this time she furthered her interest and skill in art by taking night studio courses at a local community college. After leaving the media industry to start a family, Renee began more actively pursuing her artistic passions, and enrolled in courses in the Berkeley Extension Visual Arts Program. She completed a Certificate in Drawing in 2015 and a Post-Bac Visual Arts Certificate in 2018. Renee also completed a Certificate in Social Emotional Arts from UCLA Arts & Healing in 2022. She continues her fine art education by taking classes through SF Art Institute Public Education, Berkeley Extension, and local professional artists.
Renee lives and works in the Bay Area, and her art has been shown in various exhibitions in the San Francisco Bay Area as well as other areas in the United States.
Studio Location
San Francisco Bay Area
Education
Certificate in Social Emotional Arts, UCLA Art & Healing, Santa Monica, CA 2022
Certificate, Post Bac Program in Visual Arts, Berkeley Extension, San Francisco, 2018
SFAI Public Education Courses, San Francisco, 2018-2019
Certificate, Specialized Program in Drawing, Berkeley Extension, San Francisco, 2015
BA, Media Communication Arts, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA 1996
Activities
Marin Museum of Contemporary Art Member, Novato, 2021-Present
Sons & Daughters of the Vietnam War Member, Weatherford, TX 2021-Present
Magic Shop Studios Collective Member, Petaluma, CA 2020-Present
7+1 Collective Member, San Francisco, CA 2018-Present
Hayward Art Council Member, Hayward, CA 2018-Present
A.R.T. Inc. Member, Hayward, CA 2018-Present
Marin Society of Artists Board Member, San Rafael, 2019-2020
Marin Society of Artists Figure Drawing Group Facilitator, San Rafael, 2019
Marin Society of Artists Member, San Rafael, CA 2014-2020
PTA Reflections Coordinator, Novato, 2015-2016
Elementary School Art Docent, Novato, CA 2011-2019