Spotlight: Kellee Beaudry

Kellee Beaudry was born in Oregon and raised in Portland.  Her story is one of true serendipity and synergy. 

Her unexpected talent for painting became apparent 2½ years ago, when she decided to take a painting class.  At the end of the class, Kellee stayed and worked in the studio.  As she worked on painting, the owner of the studio put her paintings in the front window.  To her amazement her first painting sold right away!

"One of the first things I painted was my dogs, and to my surprise, people wanted to buy them and then started asking me to paint their pets.  After awhile, I had so many requests,  I had to take time off work to complete them.  Now I paint full-time. I love the work, it is really a joy."

She loves to go to people's homes and meet their dogs.  She "gets" to hear about their relationships with their pets and work with them to make it a very personal painting,  something that is meaningful to their families.  "People tell me these are treasured by their families - what could be better?"

Prior to painting, Kellee worked as a social worker counseling kids who had been sexually traumatized.  Needless to say this was very stressful work. Because of her work in the non-profit world, she remains committed to giving back to community organizations, who auction her work at fundraisers. 

She has given her work for auctions that benefit pets, including Project Pooch, DoveLewis, Oregon Humane Society and the Pixie Project.  She has also donated her work for human projects such as Friends of the Children, Legal Aid, The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and several school-related fundraisers.

Kellee loves to hang out at the beach with her husband, play with her dogs, read, write paint and draw.  She has jumped full time into her art and says,"The biggest regrets in life are not the things we do, but things we wish we had."