Meet the Artist
Kelli MacConnell
PrintMAKING
Captivated by the wilderness since early childhood, Kelli MacConnell’s relationship with nature continuously sparks her imaginative work. Her childhood road trips to wilderness areas were the inspiration for her extensive backpacking excursions as a young adult. While hiking the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine, she tuned into wilderness exploration as both an integral part in understanding the world and an endless source for creativity. In 2006, after hiking the Appalachian Trail, sections of the Pacific Crest Trail, and traveling the country, she left her hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio to join Portland's community of artists. Soon after, at Portland State University where she received her BFA, she found a love for printmaking. Kelli now resides on the Olympic Peninsula in WA where she is dedicated to exploring the endless possibilities of printmaking and creating original, introspective art in the hope that it will foster a healthier relationship between humans and nature.
Kelli uses gouges to carve wood and linoleum blocks, leaving nature inspired images standing in relief. She uses these blocks to create limited edition hand pulled prints on cotton paper with oil-based ink.