Kelli N Scott Art

10/05/2026

Well, Cleveland County… you sure know how to make a girl feel welcome.

Friday night was full of paintings, music, laughter, new faces, dear friends, and so many sweet conversations. I looked around more than once and thought, how lucky am I to get to do this?

Thank you for showing up so warmly for In the Key of Home. My heart is very, very full.

And now I get to turn around and do it again. ❤️

This Friday, October 9, is the opening reception for Field Hymns at The ArtsCenter in Carrboro, from 6–8 p.m.

Two exhibitions. A whole lot of paintings. Plenty of old-time music. New friends, old friends, and one very happy artist.

Come see me in Carrboro Friday night!

09/25/2026

If I was going to have a show in Carrboro, I couldn’t arrive without paying tribute to Elizabeth Cotten.

And if I was going to show work in Cleveland County, there had to be a nod to Earl Scruggs.

So tucked into my two fall exhibitions are these love letters to two musicians whose music traveled far beyond the places they called home.

Her Song Still Travels is at The ArtsCenter in Carrboro and Before the Breakdown and Carry Me Away will be shown at In the Key of Home show at the Cleveland County Arts Council.

I love that these two exhibitions landed in places with such deep musical roots. ❤️🪕🎨

Field Hymns
The ArtsCenter, Carrboro
On view through October 31
Reception: October 9, 6–8 pm

In the Key of Home
Cleveland County Arts Council, Shelby
October 1–31
Reception: October 1, 5-7 pm
Come see them in their home territory. ❤️

09/22/2026

One exhibition at a time isn’t enough….
This fall has given me more than I ever expected: two exhibitions at once!
At the ArtsCenter in Carrboro: Field Hymns is on view through October 31st. The opening reception is October 9, 6-8 pm.

In Shelby, In the Key of Home at the Cleveland County Arts Council will be on view Oct. 1-31st. Opening reception Oct 1, 5-7 pm.

Both shows are rooted in old-time music, memory, home and belonging.

Because this work was born out of my deep love of playing this music, it only felt right to bring the music into the gallery too!
So for the Cleveland County opening, I’ll be playing banjo with my dear friends The Beech Hill String Band!

Please come see me at one of these receptions! I’d love to share the paintings, the music and this very full October with you!

Two shows+two wonderful places in NC+a whole bunch of paintings+ one string band= one incredibly grateful artist!
🪕🎨❤️

09/10/2026

Shout Lula
24 x 24
Oil on Canvas

This painting began with the tune Shout Little Lulie. I LOVE the rhythm, the forward pull-it gets you in a groove before you even realized it! As I listened, I began to picture this woman singing and playing it. Strong, steady and known forever.

Shout Lula is included in my show Field Hymns, now on view at the Arts Center in Carrboro. I'll be there this Friday evening from 6-8, September 11th, for the 2nd Friday event. I would love for y'all to come see the painting in person, hear about the music and inspired each painting and say hello!

08/27/2026

I am so excited to finally share this! ❤️

FIELD HYMNS

My new exhibition at The ArtsCenter in Carrboro, NC
September 1 – October 31, 2026
Opening Reception: Friday, October 9 6-8 pm!

Field Hymns is a new series that grew out of my love of playing old-time music and the way that music has found its way into my painting.
There is something about playing these old tunes; the repetition, the rhythm, the rawness, and especially the joy that stays with me long after the music stops. In this body of work, I’ve tried to translate that feeling into paint.
Figures, banjos, fields, quilts and fragments of landscape move through the paintings, but the work is less about telling a literal story and more about capturing the feeling of a tune: something remembered, repeated, passed along and changed each time it is played.

The paintings are colorful, intuitive, abstractly fragmented and deeply felt.

These are my visual hymns to the music I love.

I would absolutely love to see you at the opening on October 9th and to share this body of work with you in person.
📍 The ArtsCenter, Carrboro, NC
🎨 Theatre Gallery

Please click on the link below to see two of the paintings that will be there!

THEATRE GALLERY / SEPTEMBER + OCTOBER Field Hymns is rooted in the landscape, music, and memory of my Appalachian upbringing. These paintings are less about depicting rural life as it was and more about painting how it remains in me—abstracted, fragmented, emotional, and deeply felt. Old-time musi...

04/02/2026

Wilmington never disappoints.

I had such a wonderful opening at the brand new Cathryn O’Donnell Gallery. So many people came out to the gallery crawl! I’m grateful for all of the conversations, support, and new connections.
I was also lucky to be in town for a painting workshop with the amazing Melinda Cootsona. I had the best time learning, painting, and meeting more wonderful artists along the way!
While I was there, I painted Near Kin: Cousins—near in blood, near in spirit. The same land, the same stories, the same way of looking out at the world. Not quite sisters, but something just as lasting.

Feeling very thankful for this past weekend, for new friendships, and for the chance to share my work.

03/20/2026

A new season, a new decade, new headshots, and a lot of gratitude!

Thank you to the talented Sarah DeShields/ Enowen Photography for capturing these images so beautifully. Being photographed can feel so vulnerable, but she made the whole experience feel easy and natural. I am obsessed with her work!

I’m also excited to share that I’ll be part of the Storytellers Exhibition at the Cathryn O’Donnell Gallery in Wilmington, NC during the month of April! Storytelling is such an important part of my work, and this show feels like a perfect fit. I’m looking forward to sharing more soon about the paintings that will be included!

Thank you for following along with me here!

02/13/2026

I’m honored to share that I’m a featured Spotlight Artist at Cathryn O’Donnell Gallery in downtown Wilmington.
This show is themed Storytellers, and that word feels like home to me—because painting is how I hold memory, make sense of where I come from, and listen for what still wants to be said. I love the idea of a gallery full of voices, each one telling the truth in a different way: through color, gesture, silence, and the spaces in between.
If you’re nearby, come spend some time with the work at the Fourth Friday receptions (3/27 and 4/24, 6–9pm). The show closes April 26. I’d love to see you there. 💛