Kelly started pursuing art as soon as she could hold a brush. Her father, Charles, a classically trained painter who studied with the official artist of the Vatican, taught her the fundamentals of oil painting and introduced her to her major influences, John Singer Sargent and Sorolla.
She graduated with honors from the University of Florida with a Bachelor of Design in Architecture, training in Vicenza, Italy in the drawing methods of the Renaissance masters. In 1997 she spent a year on a painting sabbatical on the island of Grenada, painting landscapes and seascapes outdoors and developing the expressive, painterly style she's known for today. It's also where she first sold her work.
Back in Florida she studied with acclaimed realist Christopher Still, then earned a Master of Architecture at Miami University in 2003 while adding fiber arts, ceramics and metals to her studies.
Today Kelly is an award-winning professional artist and owns Kelly Tracht Gallery in Jupiter, open since 2016 and run with her husband, architect and business manager Rich Tracht. She grew up in the once-sleepy Gulf coast town of Clearwater, sailing and exploring Florida's nature with her family, and it still shows in every painting.