"The constant in my painting is a fascination with light.  The slanting rays at evening warming and reddening a tree trunk, or shimmering on the surface of water, are a source of wonder.  The translucence of a backlit flower petal, or the elusive shadow on a model's skin, keeps me searching for ways to convey that sense of wonder on my canvas."

Working in oils and pastels, Gaye Johns Kelly paints still lifes, landscapes and figurative paintings.

When her five children were mostly grown, she entered Kent State University's art school.  While she was there, she was accepted into the Blossom-Kent Art Program, studying with New York Artists Janet Fish and Alex Katz, as well as with many other artists from New York City, in the Visiting Artists Program.  More recently, she has attended workshops with California artist Joseph Mendez, Taos artist Ray Vinella, portrait artist Daniel Greene and pastel Artists Albert Handell, Desmond O'Hagen and Doug Dawson.

Her works have been accepted into many juried competitions in the Dallas area, as well as in Houston, St. Louis and Chicago.  At the Pasadena Art League of Pasadena, Texas, her still life was awarded Best of Show, juried by Carrie Ballard.  She won the Vi and Ray Froman award for portraits and the Ray Froman award in the 1999 Association of Creative Artists show in Dallas, juried by Kevin McPherson.  Her pastel was chosen for the First Award of Excellence at the 2001 Pastel Society of the Southwest's national show, and her oil won first place in the 2003 Texas and Neighbors Regional show.  Her pastels were published as finalists in the Pastel Journal's "Pastel 100" in 2001 and also in 2002.  In 2003, her painting was featured on the invitation for the Oil Painters of America Midwest Regional at the Hilligoss Gallery in Chicago.

Gaye lives with her husband in Highland Village, Texas, where she paints in her studio.  She is represented by Fredericksburg Art Gallery in Fredericksburg, Texas and other fine galleries.