Kelli Nyman Art

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United States
Somerville, MA
Kelli Nyman Art

"Painting" with paper
📍 Cambridge, MA

06/02/2026

I’m very happy to share that three of my pieces have been included in the ART SHOP Spring Edition, an online group exhibition at Juniper Rag !

"Curated by Michelle May and Payal Thiffault of Juniper Rag, this seasonal exhibition embraces the energy of the contemporary art studio with evolving ideas, fresh bodies of work, risk-taking, reinvention and signature work."

There is so much great work in this show from artists working in a variety of mediums.

These pieces will be available for purchase in the exhibition through June 30. Visit the link in my bio!

05/21/2026

👋🏾 Some recent studio views.... (Clearly from before it got crazy hot based on my long sleeve shirt 😅)

04/30/2026

In my recent work, shapes evocative of birds or wings have been emerging, and I'm kinda into it. I think it's both a product of the folding techniques that I'm using and also the qualities and feelings that I want to achieve in my pieces. I'm often trying to capture this sense of expansiveness, rising above, and looking out towards a future, yet unwritten - hopefulness really.

As an abstract artist, my inclination is not to attempt to render a specific subject in a realistic way, but there's almost always a suggestion of something from real life, which, in turn, has its own associations. Birds and the human fascination with flight have long been connected with all of these hopeful or "lofty" ideals, so it's interesting for me to see this symbolic reference show up organically in my work, and to think about how I could explore it in a lot of different ways.

Fittingly, the title of this piece was inspired by the Emily Dickinson poem, “Hope” is the Thing with Feathers

(swipe for the full poem - it's beautiful!! ❤🕊️)

Hope Perches in the Soul, 20" x 16", paper and acrylic on wood panel

01/23/2026

Sometimes feelings of desolation take over, and I think it's ok to embrace them for a little while. Because in those moments, there can be small glimmers of light and gentle flutters of life that spark a kind of beauty and clarity that would not be possible without the vastness of the dark.

This piece took quite a while to truly get going, but ultimately came together through a combination of letting things be simple, pushing against boundaries, and breaking a few of my own rules.

Title TBD, 20" x 16", paper and acrylic on wood panel

01/15/2026

The start of a new series of work that I began towards the end of last year. I had plans to complete so many pieces before the holiday rush, but eventually I accepted that this was not in the cards. What I really needed to do was let go of the many self-imposed pressures I was piling on my own shoulders, and take. my. time. Sounds simple and reasonable? Sure. Feels excruciatingly painful? YES.

I had to deal with so many difficult emotions and thoughts that came up in the process of 'not meeting my own expectations,' not just in this one situation, but in many others. All while never giving myself permission not to know things, to need help, or to mess up.

I didn't expect all of this to hit me so hard at this time, but given that 2025 was the year that actually made me kind of miss 2020 😢, it's not so surprising that walls of emotion came crashing down. I think we've all been carrying a lot (and oh boy, the march goes on), but I'm learning that being kind to myself, though it feels wildly counter-intuitive, helps me let my guard down and see so many more possibilities that seem unavailable when I'm isolating and being hard on myself. It might just be the thing that allows me to move forward, not all on my own, but through the reliance on the strength and power of those around me. Turns out, the best things can happen when you realize how imperfect we are and how much we all need each other 🖤

Title TDB, 36" x 24" , paper and acrylic on wood panel.

11/05/2025

Studio daze 😌 ... the past couple of months I have been all about starting new work - planning, color mixing, painting, and playing. Excited about how things are taking shape...

I'm always down to the wire with these things 😅, but I hope to have some new pieces completed by Joy St Open Studios on Nov 22 🙏🏾🗓️

09/25/2025

Go outside and play - this is part of your job as a kid. And really, this should never change.

Growing up, we were fortunate to have a small backyard that my twin sister and I spent hours and hours playing in, and our parents regularly took us to parks nearby as well as to state parks every summer.

My mom spent much of her childhood on her grandparents farm, so while she lived in the city as an adult, she had a true fondness for spending time in nature both with friends and family or by just yourself on solo adventures. As a happy little city-dweller myself, I definitely do not spend enough time outdoors, but I did learn from my mom to appreciate the sense of playfulness, lightness, and calm that come with planting flowers in the little front garden, rolling down a big hill in the park or dipping your toes in water at the beach. For me, this piece is a great reminder that my job is still to get out into the sunshine and play. 🌞🌱

"Barefoot in the Grass," 2025, paper and acrylic on wood panel, 48" x 36".

👉🏾 swipe for a clip of me gluing down just one individual pleat!

It's the last weekend of my solo exhibition, Wisdom Depicted, at the Southern Vermont Arts Center , closing through Sept 28!

09/11/2025

I think one of my favorite things about my mom is how honest she is. She values truthfulness very highly, and not only does she never lie in her words, her whole being is just so genuine. She can't help it - literally - it's a running joke in our family how everything shows on her face, whether she wants it to or not! 😂

And whether the thought or emotion displayed across her face happens to be in your favor or not, her ability to be emotionally honest in every circumstance taught me to be ok with feeling and expressing my own emotions and to give others the space to do so as well. When you are unguarded and honest, you let people know who you are and signal to them that they can be who they are with you too. I think being honest with others is a true act of love and enables us to empathize with and care for each other. 💕

I Wear Mine on my Sleeve, 2025, paper and acrylic on wood panel, 24" x 24" is part of my solo exhibition, Wisdom Depicted, at the Southern Vermont Arts Center through Sept 28.

👉🏾 Swipe to the end for a shot of me in true Sharon fashion, unable to hide my annoyance at my very patient husband .nyman.52 as I express my apparent displeasure with his portrait-taking skills 😒....do you think he feels cared for here?

08/26/2025

Summer thunderstorm season is almost over, but we've definitely had our share of wild ones this year in the Boston area! ⛈️

And who doesn't love that uniquely cozy / thrilling experience of watching a storm roll through from the safety of your porch? 🏠😶‍🌫️

I remember being pretty scared of thunder when I was a kid, and my mom would often comfort us by sharing that one her favorite things to do when she was little was watch thunderstorms by herself from her porch - taking in the initial eerie quiet, the smell of the rain, the dramatic changes in the sky starting off in the distance, then quickly drawing closer, and feeling the intense power of the thunderclaps, all while knowing she was safely under shelter.

Imagining my mom's bravery as a little girl just like me, enjoying this secret and exciting moment to herself (away from her 8 siblings!) always really tickled me and made me feel like I could be a little bit more courageous - when you face the scary things in life, sometimes they turn out not to be as scary as you thought, in fact they can be the most beautiful, and the most fun. 💓

This piece, titled Porch Storm Watching, is currently on view at the Southern Vermont Arts Center as part of my solo show, Wisdom Depicted, up for just a few more weeks!

Paper and acrylic paint on wood panel, 36" x 24"

08/06/2025

One of things I've always observed my mom do really well was rise above the bu****it. I learned from her that the best way to deal with people who underestimate you, try to drag you down, or are generally acting a fool is to simply quietly keep your head up and keep moving forward. Before they even notice, you've done the thing, moved ahead, and shown your strength without damaging yourself or anyone else. NOT easy to do, but incredibly gratifying when you can pull it off (+ you can still talk s**t to your friends when you need to vent). But keep moving upwards, stay humble, and let them watch. ☝🏾😌👀

Quiet Transcendence, 2025, paper and acrylic paint on wood panel, 30" x 30"

This piece is part of my series, Wisdom Depicted, currently on view at the Southern Vermont Arts Center through Sept 28th.

Address

Somerville, MA
02143, 02144, 02145

Website

https://www.kellinyman.com/

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