Kelly Howlett started drawing at the age of 15 as an emotional outlet to deal with the loss of her mother to breast cancer.  While studying graphic design and psychology at Silver Lake College, she began correspondence with a number of comic book artists including David Mack and Guy Davis, who encouraged her to pursue a career in illustration.  Now at the age of 25, Kelly sells work internationally, tours publishing conventions around the Midwest, and has permanent exhibits on the internet and in small venues.

Heavily influenced by comic books, Kelly's work is mostly figurative portraits of women. She calls the paintings her "girls" and notes that most of the women she draws are strictly from her imagination. The text written in her work is extremely personal, often written unconsciously, and therefore purposely obscured. Kelly claims she conjures her girls to share secrets.

http://www.kellyhowlett.com/