About

Hello! Thank you so much for stopping by and taking a moment to step into my studio. Creating artwork has been the anchor of my life — a way to express the stories, emotions, and fleeting moments that shape us. Every piece begins as a quiet investigation: a desire to observe, document, discover, and make sense of the beauty tucked inside everyday life.

One of my greatest joys as an artist is seeing my work find a home with someone who truly connects with it. Art has this incredible ability to meet people where they are — to comfort, to inspire, to spark memory, or simply to bring a sense of calm into a room. When someone chooses one of my pieces for their home, it’s not just décor; it becomes part of their daily rhythm, their personal space, their story. That connection — from my hands to your home — is deeply meaningful to me.

I invite you to browse through my testimonials to hear from collectors who live with my work every day. Their experiences say so much about the special relationship that forms between a person and the artwork they welcome into their lives. I hope you feel that same sense of resonance and connection as you explore my pieces.

                                                                                          -Kelly

                               

BIO:

Kelly Porter is from Dallas, TX. She received her BFA from Kansas City Art Institute, Kansas City, MO in 1997, where she studied printmaking and philosophy. Upon receiving a full scholarship, she continued her education at the State University of New York in Buffalo, NY, where she received an MFA in 1999.

Porter returned to Kansas City for a teaching position at the Kansas City Art Institute and began showing her work in galleries across the country. Kelly Porter’s work has been described by critics as “unique, composed and calming, with layered and labor intensive surfaces.”

As a full-time professional artist, Porter has simultaneously produced work for multiple solo exhibitions, as well as creating and running the successful textile and wall covering company, Porter Teleo.

Her honors include being named as one of the “21 Under 30 Top Artists to Watch” in 2004 by Southwest-Art Magazine, “Top Visual Artist” in 2006 by Kansas City Magazine, a “Merit Award for Best Product Design” from Interior Design Magazine, 2008, and a number of editorials in Architectural Digest, Elle Décor, Vogue, Town and Country, Women’s Wear Daily, Veranda, Metropolitan Home, House Beautiful, Spaces Kansas City and IN Kansas City Magazine for her surface design work for Porter Teleo.

Kelly Porter’s personal contemporary artwork can be seen in private and corporate collections nationwide, including: Poetry and Rare Books Collection of New York, NY, Utilicorp, KC, MO, Sprint Corporate Collection, Overland Park, KS, Brandmeyer Enterprises, LLC, Leawood, KS, Shook Hardy and Bacon, KC, MO, Houlihan’s Restaurant Corp, Chicago, IL, American Century, KC, MO, and other public spaces including New York Fashion Week VIP Lounge, the Greenville Symphony Auditorium and the New York Palace Hotel Lobby.

She has received numerous accolades in the art and design community and was recently honored as a guest speaker at the Creative Leadership Symposium through Hallmark, KC, MO. Porter lives and works in Kansas City. She has been represented by Blue Gallery in the Kansas City Crossroads Arts Districts since 2000.