Draft:Kelli Folsom

Kelli Folsom (born 1979) is an American realist artist. Her work is held in private and public collections around the world.

In 2019, Kelli founded the online school, Art Life School, and has written several books about painting technique and creativity. Kelli also hosts the art podcast Art Life Conversations.

Education
Kelli studied oil painting and drawing and earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts at the Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts in Old Lyme, CT in 2011. In 2011, Kelli used the proceeds from her John F. and Anna Lee Stacey Scholarship to travel to Europe, where she extensively studied the old masters in Paris and Amsterdam.

Work
Kelli Folsom's work focuses on representational oil paintings in the genres of landscape and still life. Her main influences are: William Merritt Chase, Joaquin Sorolla, Frans Mortelmans, and contemporary artists: David Leffel and Gregg Kreutz.

Kelli has exhibited in galleries and museums around the world.

Awards
Selected awards include:
 * Artist in Residence in Polkovnik Serafimovo, Bulgaria, 2011
 * John F. and Anna Lee Stacey Scholarship, National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, 2010
 * Honorable Mention, Figurative Category, Oil Painters of America National Juried Exhibition, 2016
 * Award of Excellence, Fine Art Connoisseur Magazine, American Impressionist Society National Juried Exhibition, 2017
 * Award of Distinction, Fine Art Connoisseur Magazine, Women Artists of the West, 2017