Professional Bio

A life long Floridian, Kelly started pursuing art studies as soon as she could hold a brush. Her father, Charles, was a classically trained painter who studied with the official artist of the Vatican for several years. He was instrumental in helping her develop her early skills as an oil painter, teaching her the fundamentals of painting and introducing her to her major influences such as John Singer Sargent and Sorolla.  

Tracht graduated from the University of Florida with a Bachelor in Design in Architecture, with Honors. She was known among her fellow students for her freehand drawing skills as well as her artistic and sculptural approach to model building.  While at UF, she trained in Vicenza, Italy at the Vicenza Institute of Architecture where she was immersed in the traditional drawing methods of the Renaissance masters, studying live figure drawing, experiencing first hand the respected tradition and significance of the live figure model in Italian culture and tradition of painting.

In 1997, she spent a year on a painting sabbatical on the island of Grenada in the West Indies,  painting al fresco landscape and seascape paintings. Inspired by island living, she experimented with an expressive, painterly style. It was in Grenada where she first began to sell her landscape paintings to European tourists and foreign dignitaries on the small island.  

After returning to the states, she was invited to study drawing and painting with acclaimed Florida realist Christopher Still who exposed her to the traditions and techniques of the Dutch masters.

Tracht continued to pursue her architectural education and went on to win a merit-based teaching assistantship to complete her Masters of Architecture degree at Miami University in 2003.  While teaching graphic design to the incoming freshman architecture majors, she loaded up on formal art courses in fiber arts, ceramics, and metals/jewelry, to round out her professional degrees in Architecture.  

Today, she is an award winning professional artist, and owns Kelly Tracht Gallery located in Jupiter, FL. The gallery has been open since 2016 and is a success along with the help of her business manager and architect husband, Rich Tracht. Kelly grew up in the once “sleepy” and beautiful gulf coast town of Clearwater, Florida, sailing and enjoying the nature of Florida with her family.

Selected Awards:

2012 Sunfest President’s Purchase Award Winner

2014 ArtiGras Poster Winner

2015-2024 Loggerhead Marinelife Center Resident Artist

2016 ArtExpo New York City, Featured Artist

2016 ArtFest by the Sea Poster Winner

2016 Kelly Tracht Gallery Opened

2019 Mainsail Poster Winner

2023 Under the Oaks Award Winner

2024 Marietta Museum of Art & Whimsy Collection