About the Artist
Kelly Zeeb is an emerging artist who has arrived at this point in her life quite by "happy accident"…
Kelly has always found the arts, be it music, visual or fine craft, a healing and vital part of her life. Now, she hopes to share that healing and vitality with others in an accessible and inclusive way.
Kelly's teaching career came to an unexpected end after she sustained a traumatic brain injury in 2018. In the months and years that followed, she went through extensive physical, occupational and mental health therapies. The brain injury manifested in many ways; affecting cognitive and visual function, focus and mood, and motor skill. Part of her recovery therapies included exercises in drawing and sketching: a skill that until that time, Kelly never knew she had!
Looking to once again be productive, on the advice of her medical team, she tentatively began a part-time Fine Art diploma program at Emily Carr University in 2021. Taking it one course at a time, Kelly's artistic talents grew, and she began to realize the impact that art was having on her recovery and mental health.
In late 2022 she joined Route 22 Artist Collective in Cochrane, Alberta and has participated in many juried art exhibits in her tenure. In spring 2023, Kelly was juried in to the Calgary Artists Society and has participated in many of their shows. In September of 2023, Kelly participated in the Leighton Centre's "Paint the Foothills" weekend art competition where she was awarded the prestigious Rose Baxter People's Choice for her work at the event!
In the midst of her studies at Emily Carr, she realized that the visual challenges that she was encountering was affecting her ability to create some of the projects she wished to undertake, and her ability to enjoy the artworks of others. Kelly began exploring the use of dark grounds and canvasses with "Irlen" colour palettes in her paintings and digital illustrations, and immediately noticed an improvement in her ability to focus and take in the artworks. The use of cooler colours with black backgrounds create less contrast, and visual load - and this new style has been immensely popular to all audiences. Her works can be found in collections in Australia, across North America and in Europe! She is thrilled and grateful that her work is accessible to all, and being enjoyed by so many!
Acutely familiar with the struggles one faces with mental health, Kelly also created Dooners the Mental Health Hound Tarot cards. Designed with visual sensitivities in mind, these tarots employ cool colour palettes, minimalistic styles and light fonts meant to convey educational messages and reminders for self-care and healing.
In May 2025, Kelly is especially thrilled to announce her first solo art exhibition at Route 22 Gallery in Cochrane "Forest Bathing". This exhibit will feature a forest-experience with accessible artworks designed to encourage visitors to take a mental health break and enjoy the landscapes of Western Canada in a calm and inclusive environment.
Kelly feels especially grateful to her family, friends, teachers and medical team for all of their support and encouragement. She has come a LONG way since her accident, and, though many of her challenges remain, her passion to help others who are dealing with recoveries or mental health struggles of their own pushes her to continue to create, heal and...art!
