For over four decades, Kelly Bennett Desrosiers has lived and worked in Midcoast Maine. Working in mixed media, her practice brings together layered elements of collage, acrylic, gouache, watercolor, ink, and pastel, building surfaces that feel both intuitive and deeply considered. Through layering and overlapping patterns, her work reflects the complex, interwoven ecological relationships that shape the natural world. Landscapes and seascapes provide a framework through which she builds texture and structure, exploring both the depth and age of the environment while maintaining a quiet sense of magic. Desrosiers’ connection to the natural world is lifelong. Raised on a farm and now living on a small one in Unity, Maine, she has spent much of her life in rural environments across the upper Midwest, the Pacific Northwest, Alaska, and Maine. That lived experience shapes the work, not as direct representation, but as a felt understanding of place, rhythm, and change. Her path to painting was not linear. She holds a BS in Animal and Veterinary Science, a BA in Studio Art, and an MFA in Fine Art from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Before turning fully toward her studio practice, she worked in wildlife and agricultural fields and built a career in art and science education spanning kindergarten through the college level. Today, that breadth of experience informs a focused, full-time studio practice. Drawing from a deep engagement with biology, ecology, geology, chemistry, and evolutionary science, Desrosiers approaches her work with both knowledge and curiosity. At the same time, she allows space for something less fixed, guided by a sense of wonder, intuition, and openness to the unknown. The result is work that continues to unfold over time, grounded in the natural world but not bound to it. Work that settles into a space quietly, revealing itself over time.