Kellie Edwards

Kellie Edwards is a figurative and landscape artist based in the Far North of New Zealand, working primarily in expressive oils and pastels.

Since childhood, Edwards has been curious about the universal traits we share: belonging, family, community, love, curiosity, memory, storytelling, voice, purpose, and creativity. Core to her art making is recognizing that these qualities link us, and through her expressive oil and pastel paintings, she shines a light on and celebrates our shared humanity, creating a dialogue that resonates with the heart and mind

.

Through her mastery of oils and pastels, Edwards reveals the sacred within the ordinary, transforming hands into vessels of story, landscapes into theatres of emotion, and figurative works into windows of shared experience. This interplay not only enhances the visual experience but also evokes layers of meaning that provoke thought and emotion for her viewers.

Studying Art & Design full time at Auckland Technical Institute in the early 1990s, Edwards finished top of her class under the tutelage of Nancy de Freitas. She then took up a scholarship offered by the Auckland Society of Arts, majoring in painting with critique from Sylvia Siddell, Ian Jervois, and Sue Daly.

Edwards' work has exhibited in national touring exhibitions, and she has won awards in national and international art exhibitions. She is a two-time winner of the National Exhibition for Pastel Artists of New Zealand, receiving the prestigious Unison Colour Cup in both 2013 and 2023. In 2019, she was juried as an Associate Member of the Pastel Society of America, an international distinction recognizing excellence in the medium.

Edwards has held solo exhibitions and been selected as a finalist in numerous highly regarded art competitions. Edwards' work is collected internationally, with paintings held in prestigious private collections across New Zealand, the United Kingdom, America, and Hawaii. Her global reach demonstrates the universal resonance of her artistic vision. Commissioned pieces feature in esteemed collections, and her paintings are represented in galleries throughout Northland and Auckland.

Edwards operates her studio and gallery at Whangaroa in Northland, where she continues to explore the profound connections that unite us all through her art