Born and raised in West Texas, Kelly grew up admiring the works of Frida Kahlo, the Old Masters, and Jose Guadalupe Posadas. Most of her younger years were spent drawing and sketching portraits, later discovering a love for oil painting. She pursued the arts through education and graduated with a Bachelors of Fine Arts in Painting from Texas Tech University in 2011. In 2014 she delved into the art of embroidery while taking part in a year-long residency through Plymouth University/Transart Institute. In 2017, Kelly returned to Texas Tech University to obtain a Masters of Fine Arts degree in Painting and Drawing.

Kelly is actively involved in local art markets and indulges colorful portraits of Frida Kahlo. In more professional work, Kelly engages in the meditative techniques of needlework and embroidery, combining those processes to create paintings and drawings. These methods are used to translate the experience of motherhood through the struggles of Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Currently, Kelly is an Adjunct Professor at Texas Tech University and Lubbock Christian University and owns Grey Edges Studio & Art Gallery in downtown Lubbock.