About The Artist

Kelly’s unique and innovative paintings are created using Cattle Markers, which are oil paint sticks originally designed to mark livestock. With a limited number of colors Kelly produces vivid, colorful, expressive works. She cuts and prepares all of her own pre-painted boards and finishes her work with painted cradled gallery frames. In addition to her work as a professional artist Kelly also teaches Workshops in Cattle Marker Painting Techniques, coordinates and prepares exhibits for local galleries and often provides instructional workshops in other mediums.

Kelly’s work is represented by: Paint, Metal & Mud Gallery and Montana Stone Gallery in Kalispell, the Sandpiper Art Gallery and Gift Shop in Polson and the Whooping Crones Gallery in Missoula. Previous and upcoming exhibit locations also include: Hockaday Museum of Art, Paint, Metal & Mud Gallery, Montana Stone Gallery, Ananda Seva Center, and The Knead Café in Kalispell, the Sage Spa & Salon, Stumptown Art Studio and The Walking Man Gallery in Whitefish, The Red Poppy Art Center in Ronan, the Sandpiper Art Gallery and Gift Shop in Polson, Kalispell Regional Medical Center and the Bigfork Arts & Cultural Center.

Kelly, a life long resident of the Flathead valley, is the great, great granddaughter of Milo Apgar, whose original homestead encompassed the south end of Lake McDonald and later became Apgar Village in Glacier National Park. She received her B.A. in Fine Arts from MSU-Bozeman and her Elementary -Special Education certification from the University of Great Falls. Kelly is the former Education Coordinator for the Hockaday Museum of Art and a well-known elementary art teacher. Prior to her teaching career she worked as a graphic designer and marketing assistant while raising her family in Kalispell, Montana. She began pursuing her artwork full-time in January of 2006. Kelly’s husband, Glenn Gardner is currently building their log home and studio just north of Flathead Lake near Somers, Montana..