Born on a farm in Fremont, Michigan, Kristy McNelly’s early days were spent riding horses and playing in the woods along the creek. Art has been a long pastime since childhood. It is that love for nature and animals that is still carried into her work today as an oil painting artist.
Kristy graduated from Michigan State University and moved to Bergheim, Texas, a little town on the north side of San Antonio. After years of working as a graphic designer, Kristy now spends her time devoted to her oil painting. She also invented a urethane horseshoe called Ground Control Horseshoes, which she has sold worldwide since 1999.
Kristy shows her paintings nationally and has exhibited in Kansas, Arizona, Florida, Michigan and Wisconsin. Kristy is the featured artist representing the Hill country Art & Wine Festival for 2026. Her artwork was chosen as the featured image for the Kansas Equifest and the Mackinac Island Lilac Festival in 2025.
A volunteer director of the AgriCultural Museum and Arts Center in Boerne, Texas since 2002, Kristy enjoys putting on events and antique tractor pulls and driving her antique 1950 Ford Truck called “Seabiscuit”. Every year Kristy and her husband Chuck enjoy taking road trips back to Michigan to visit family and also to tour their favorite vacation spots, including Mackinac Island, and Key West where Kristy’s many subjects for her paintings have been inspired.
Charreada, a Mexican Rodeo-like event that takes place in San Antonio also inspires Kristy’s artwork. The competition showcases horsemanship, roping skills, and traditional ranching practices. The colorful themed images are filled with horses, riders, and dancers as they celebrate the cultural traditions of Old Mexico.
Kristy is a member of several organizations included the American Impressionist Society, Oil Painters of America, American Women Artists, Cowgirl Artists of America, Boerne Visual Artists, American Plains Artists, Key West Art Center and Gallery, and Women Artists of The West.
Artist Statement – Kristy McNelly
Painting with oils on canvas, I use painterly brush strokes full of vibrant color that I emphasize in my subject. My paintings are realistic with an impressionistic vibrancy. I want every color that I put on the canvas to be there to help the composition. I use soft edges in the areas of the painting where I want less of the viewer’s attention, and use harder edges and more contrast for my center of focus. My warm yellows, oranges and reds go in front of the light – the highlights; while my blues, greens and purples go behind the light – the shadows. My subjects come from my personal photos that I have taken on trips around the country. I paint scenes of Texas, Mackinac Island, Michigan, the mid-west and great plains of America, historic route 66, antique trucks and cars, horses and cows. I wish to share my love of animals, nature, and history with my collectors and appreciators of my art.
Exhibitions
Boerne, Texas
– Hill Country Invitational: Tapatio Resort, 2002, Ye Kendall Inn 2003
– Boerne Professional Artists Colorfest at Convention Center 2004
– Carriage House Gallery 2004-2007
– Boerne Art Waddle 2012 – 2024
– Hill Country Art & Wine Festival 2025
– Native Plant Society of Texas Boerne Chapter art show 2025
– Little Big Art Show 2025
Rockport, Texas
– Rockport Art Festival – booth, 2025
Corsicana, Texas
– 40th Annual American Plains Artists, Art of the Plains, 2025 40th Annual Juried Exhibit & Sale at The Pearce Museum, Awarded a Ribbon of Excellence – Honorable Mention
– Texas Invitational Art Show at The Pearce Museum, juried in with 2 paintings, March 2026
Queen Creek, Arizona
– Art of The Cowgirl: art booth, 2024
Madison, Wisconsin
– Midwestern Horse Fair: art booth, 2024
Salina, Kansas
-Kansas Equifest 2025, art won for the program cover and booth
Mackinac Island, Michigan
– Lilac Festival Top 20 Artists: 2nd place, 2023, 1st place 2025
Bradenton, FL
– Oil Painters of America wet paint competition 2025
Key West, FL
– Associate Members show Key West Art Center & Gallery 2025
– Echoes of the Past Art Show at Key West Women’s Club, 2025
