Kelley Pounds

Once upon a time there was a little girl who loved stories about horses, fairies, magical creatures, cursed medieval kingdoms, talking lions, and little people who lived in the walls and “borrowed” things. Just as much as the stories, she loved the art that accompanied them. So much so, she loved to write and illustrate her own….

And that is how my story began. While real life may not be a fairytale, I have been blessed to follow my literary and artistic passions. Along with jobs as a designer in two flower shops and a side hustle as an apparel artist--painting images and scenes on clothing sold in boutiques--I stayed up into the early morning hours and wrote. Eventually I had a book and a novella published: The Awakening Fire and “The Mystic’s Promise.” When these works went out of print, I explored a new artistic endeavor--wire jewelry. After taking a basic course I was hooked, completely in awe of the possibilities of this new artistic medium. So I founded Kell’s Creations, creating enchanting artwear and artwork for dreamers and romantics, and my work was juried into two shows the first year. I have no doubt that the time I spent in the flower shop creating corsages and wedding bouquets was the springboard I needed to make wire wrapping and weaving my new artistic passion.

I have since expanded my jewelry design repertoire to incorporate gemstones, polymer clay, dichroic glass, resin, and metal clay. I also love to include transfers of my paintings from time to time, and my style shows a strong influence from the Art Nouveau era, with special inspiration by Rene Lalique and Alphonse Mucha. My jewelry has been published in Step by Step Wire Jewelry, Bead Trends, and Handmade Business magazine, and one of my pieces, “Faerie Carnivale,” a mixed-media precious metal clay and wire jewelry statement necklace, received a silver medal award from Fire Mountain Gems, while “Serafina the Seahorse,” a polymer clay and wire statement necklace, was a finalist. In addition, I am a graduate of the RioRewards® Program, a Precious Metal Clay certification course sponsored by internationally known and respected jewelry supply company, Rio Grande.

As for my personal life, I live on a cattle ranch in central New Mexico with my husband of 35 years, and I work out of my home studio. We have one daughter, and now three beautiful grandchildren have blessed our lives. Even so, a part of me will always be that little girl who was carried into imaginary worlds by magical myths, fantasy, and folklore, and the stories I most loved in childhood and beyond are inevitably translated to my art, whether in metal or painted form.