Kelly McNeil is a Canadian painter known for her refined oil depictions of wildlife, shaped by decades of disciplined observation and technical mastery. A graduate of OCAD University, she brings a design-informed precision to her work, composing each piece from field-sourced reference and studio expertise. Her paintings are distinguished by their anatomical accuracy, atmospheric detail, and a compositional clarity that reflects her deep engagement with the natural world.Kelly McNeil graduated from Ontario College of Art in Editorial Illustration 1983, and Graduated from Ontario College of Art and Design University with a Bachelor of Design in 2012.
She is a Wildlife Artist for 24 years, and shows her work internationally, as far away as Tasmania, and has Galleries in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, Niagara Falls, Ontario, Ottawa, Ontario, as well as in Orangeville, Ontario. She exhibits in large Wildlife Shows Such as Waterfowl Festival, Easton, MD, SEWE, Charleston, South Carolina, and Buckhorn, Ontario. McNeil can be found painting and teaching in her “Eastern Wildlife Studio”, in London, Ontario.
Artist’s Statement:
While hiking through Canada, I take photographs of my subjects, and my paintings are derived from many of these photographs. I compile and create my image, turning it into my Oil Paintings on canvas.
Education:
2012 – Ontario College of Art & Design University: Bachelor of Design 1984 – Ontario College of Art: Editorial Illustration 4 Year Diploma
Associations: Galleries:
Artists for Conservation Dragonfly, Arts on Broadway, Orangeville, ON Society of Animal Artists The Gallery, Niagara Falls, ON, Canada Society of Canadian Artists Horizon Fine Art Gallery, Jackson Hole, WY, USA Colour and Form Society
Wildlife Fine Art Shows:
Waterfowl Festival, Easton, MD, USA South Eastern Wildlife Festival, Charleston, SC, USA Buckhorn Fine Art Festival, Buckhorn, ON, Canada McMichael Art Gallery, Autumn Art Show, Kleinburg, ON, Canada Golden Turtle Wildlife Show, Moscow, Russia Canadian Art Show, Istanbul, Turkey
Awards & Honours:
2024: Finalist for Wildlife Artist of the Year, London, England 2024: Finalist for 100 Kellogg Lane, London, ON, Canada 2021: Birds in Art, Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum, Wausau, WI, USA 2020, 2019, 2018, 2014: Golden Turtle, (all 3rd place), Moscow, Russia 2018: Society of Canadian Artists, Award of Merit, Calgary, AB, Canada 2017 – 2014: Ducks Unlimited, Canada 2016: Society of Canadian Artists, St. Johns, Newfoundland, Canada 2015: Best in Show, Mount Carmel, Fine Art Show, Niagara Falls, ON, Canada 2014: Society of Canadian Artists, Salmon Arm, BC, Canada 2013: Robert Bateman Workshop, Cortez Island, BC, Canada 2010: Brampton’s Art Person of the Year, Brampton, ON, Canada 2012: 1ST Place, 2018, 2016, 2012: 2ND Place, 2019: 3rd Place, CFS, 2010: Best in Show, 2008: Best Portrait, Toronto, ON, Canada 2009: Australia, City of Burnie, Tas Art Exhibition Crushank Financial Award, Tasmania 2016, 2013, 2008: 1st Place, 2007, 2004, 2004: Awards, BeauxArts, Brampton, ON,
