Kelsey Karys

Acrylic Pet and Equine Portrait Artist

“The wind of Heaven is that which blows through a horse’s ears.”

My earliest memories are of drawing circle dogs, which then became circle horses. Hundreds of them. I was an animal-lover from the womb, and since I couldn’t have enough of them growing up, I recreated them on paper, letting my imagination run wild. Art was a side hobby through high school and college, a mental escape from my grueling perfectionism in sports and education. Slowly art faded from view, and I pulled real horses into my life from every angle possible, realizing they were a stabilizing force for my mental health. I earned a bachelor’s degree in animal science and biology, and later a Master’s of Divinity. By my master’s program, horses had also faded from my life. Ironically, it was the collision of my two seemingly unrelated fields: the careful scientific observation of the natural world, and the mystery and wonder of the Divine, that rekindled my childhood love of art. I started commissioning paintings of my friends’ pets, realizing I had a gift for capturing the essence of the animal in my paintings.

My world took a delightful turn one summer when I met a mustang that was intended to be domesticated, but jumped out of every pen they bound her in, ultimately earning her freedom. I have since been endlessly inspired by mustangs and am honored to have been accepted as the guardian of one named Moon. Moon has since been joined by two other horses and a cat, completing our multi-species herd of five. We currently reside in Northern California, where I teach horseback riding on a healing ranch for children with childhood trauma, care for barefoot horse hooves, and of course paint. My medium of choice is acrylic, and I love experimenting with bold colors. As you might be able to tell from some of my horse paintings, I have a special love of eyes. Please enjoy my site and send me an email if you’d like to connect!