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Kelli Lien is a visual artist; a painter, book artist, and collagist.  

 

Her love of art began as a young child.  She has painted routinely since pre-adolescence.  Kelli always enrolled in art classes.  While in her early 20's and working,  she found time to focus on batik and also calligraphy.  Later, as a mother of two young sons, and living in Rapid City, SD, she aspired to learn to paint in watercolor.  She spent years learning, from local, regional, and some internationally known watercolorists. She also learned from books.  From time invested, she considers herself primarily self-taught.  Kelli has been an award winning watercolorist for over 20 years, earning top regional awards.  She is a signature member of the Red River Watercolor Society.

 

Her years in Rapid City found her taking part in local artist groups and exhibitions, and taking the occasional big painters' workshop, i.e., John Salminen.   She taught watercolor to adults and children in a variety of venues, including the fine arts center, senior centers, elementary schools, and private lessons in her home studio.

 

Kelli and her family relocated to northwestern Minnesota in 2015, after having spent 25 years in the Black Hills of SD.   In 2017, she received the Artist Fellowship Award, presented by the Region 2 Arts Council, in Bemidji.  Kelli is also an Enrolled Member of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe.

The pandemic ended up being an unforeseen opportunity for learning.  Her previous love of calligraphy brought her to discovering the book arts genre.  The major book arts centers, as well as other artistic entities, began to offer both live and recorded workshops online.  With only one class left to take, Kelli will receive her Core Certificate in Book Arts from the Minnesota Center for Book Arts (MCBA) in spring 2024. 

She is also a Certified Zentangle Teacher (CZT).  

Artist Statement:  I am an artist by nature and possess a daily need to be creative.  I happily work among a variety of mediums and genres, in both two and three dimensions, in projects both large and very small. 



Selected Shows, Awards & Special Events

2023  Art at the Atrium, Red River Watercolor Society 
            Essentia, Fargo, ND

2023   15th Annual Illustrated Accordion Exhibition
            Kalamazoo Book Arts Center, Kalamazoo,  MI

2022   San Diego Book Arts
            Presented a watercolor & collage demo to a live national audience via Zoom.  


2021    Duluth Art Institute Annual Members Show, Group Exhibition
            The Depot, Duluth, MN

2019    First Place, Transparent Watercolor - Intermediate 
            Artists of Minnesota Spring Show - May 2019, Pier B Resort, Duluth, MN
 
2019    Fellowship Exhibit - Solo Show 
            February & March 2019, The Wild Hare, Bemidji, MN

2019    Group Show -
Lake Superior Watercolor Society
             Duluth Pottery, Duluth, MN

2018    25th Annual Juried Watermedia Exhibition
            Red River Watercolor Society, Moorhead, MN

2017    Artist Fellowship Award, 2017-2018
            Region 2 Arts Council, Bemidji, MN

2017    25th Annual Juried Art Exhibition
            MacRostie Art Center, Grand Rapids, MN 
 
2014    Bronze Medal, Member's 18th Annual Exhibition
            Northern Plains Watercolor Society, Rapid City, SD
 
2014    Golden Award, 21st Annual Juried Watermedia Exhibition
            Red River Watercolor Society, Moorhead, MN

2012    Silver Medal, Member's 17th Annual Exhibition
            Northern Plains Watercolor Society, Rapid City, SD

2011    18th Annual Juried Watermedia Exhibition
            Red River Watercolor Society, Moorhead, MN

2008    Recognition Award, 15th Annual Juried Watermedia Exhibition
             Red River Watercolor Society, Moorhead, MN

2008    Merit Award, Member's 13th Annual Exhibition
             Northern Plains Watercolor Society, Rapid City, SD

2008    Honorable Mention, Member's 13th Annual Exhibition
             Northern Plains Watercolor Society, Rapid City, SD

 

 Certification

2021   Certified Zentangle® Teacher (CZT)

Signature Membership Achieved
2014     Red River Watercolor Society

 Other Memberships Include
2023  Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators

 

Publications

2017  National Collage Society

2018  National Collage Society

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