Kelly McKernan

14 Apr

Hey #portfolioday, I’m Kelly McKernan (they/them), a fine artist and illustrator painting in watercolor and acryla gouache. My work is inspired by dark fantasy, art nouveau, surrealism, and pop culture. I enjoy creating art for books, comics, games, editorial, and galleries. www.kellymckernan.com

gofundme.comDonate to Help Secure Primary Custody and Child Support for Penny, organized by Kelly McKernanNew Developments / I need your help again! I started this G… Kelly McKernan needs your support for Help Secure Primary Custody and Child Support for Penny

17 Sept

Thank you for any help!

Kelly McKernan@kellymckernan.bsky.social

The summer did not unfold as I had anticipated & now I’m in big debt after moving for grad school on a different timeline, thanks to my ex and his family. If you can help, I’d be so grateful. I am living on student loans, but it’s not enough unless the goal is met. www.gofundme.com/f/help-secur...

16 Sept

I wish whistlers knew that not everyone wants to hear it. Yet they persist.

Blaise Boo-lysse Bernard Collins

16 Sept

Kelly McKernan reposted

@wittywebhandle.bsky.social

12 Sept

11 Sept

The thought of opening my web store back up makes me want to crawl into a sewer and take up vigilantism at night. I have zero desire to ask people to buy my art anymore because it’s become almost entirely soul crushing to do so these last several years.

11 Sept

My hope is that I don’t NEED to make a living off my art while I’m in grad school. The only student loans I’m taking on are for living expenses so that I can focus these 2 years on getting my MFA. My relationship to my own creative capacity is in need of a major overhaul. The hustle ruined the fun!

10 Sept

It’s been 3.5 years of waiting but the “Andersen V Stability” case finally goes to trial this week! Stay tuned. 💜

10 Sept

Guys my 12 year old is asking me for a CD burner for our computer and a portable CD player like I had in the early 00’s. She wants to learn how to download music and burn her own mixes. My heart is bursting! 😭

8 Sept

For my friends in the south who are dreaming of moving to the PNW for alllll the reasons, just do it. The quality of life is profoundly better here. I’m so much happier!

7 Sept

I had the insane idea to delete all my social media while in grad school a few nights ago, and the more the idea simmers, the tastier it sounds.

30 Aug

I need over-the-ear headphones that fit my tiny head AND don’t also squash the arms of my glasses into my temples… that are ideally under $300. Does anyone have recommendations? My new studio space is very shared, so headphones for music, etc is required.

30 Aug

I’ve been in Portland for about 6 weeks and the amount of climate-related headaches I have has decreased significantly. Every recent summer in Nashville has meant months of unbearable humidity and heat, with months of thunderstorms surrounding that. I had really hoped for this relief! 😭

25 Aug

Do any other autists habitually close their eyes when brushing their hair or teeth? I do it and always have, like I gotta dim the sensory input, lol.

15 Aug

I just survived a 20 minute Lyft ride with a woman who believes vaccines cause autism and I narrowly succeeded in biting my tongue because I value my peace too much these days. 🫠

15 Aug

Nature is healing because I chose not to fight with a boomer.

12 Aug

Yesterday morning I was hacked by a Docusign phishing scheme and I’m pretty certain hundreds of people were contacted. In return, I received ~40 emails and DMs from people confused by this (which is a reasonable thing to do).my (autistic) brain shut down and required 16 hours in bed to recover. 🫠

12 Aug

Now that I am *truly* learning my brain works, cognitive capacity has become as important as physical capacity. The latter is easy to measure, the former is more elusive. Unexpected attention and an overflowing inbox is one of the fastest routes to making my brain crash.

11 Aug

It’s not my first time crying in a bookstore, but it’s my first time at Powell’s. I realized I was walking through the maze as a local, not a tourist. This place made me want to move to Portland a decade ago, and now I walk to it from my apartment.

10 Aug

If you got a Docusign email from me, don’t open it, I was hacked. 😣

Kelly McKernan reposted

“Unmasking” is a sculpture created while processing my (very late) formal autism diagnosis. The mask I built to survive began to fall away when I realized I’m neurodivergent. At last confirmed at 40, I can finally release all of my past selves. The relief is as immense as the grief. I am finally me.

This piece (my first sculpture, actually) was created with paper clay, wood, acrylic paint, and hundreds of nails. For any interested collectors, please inquire with the gallery: www.moderneden.com/collections/...

Do I know anyone at LAIKA??

Kelly McKernan reposted

Grim Wilkins

@grimwilkins.bsky.social

Sergio Toppi

Anne Loves Comics@annecomics.bsky.social

Who has the most instantly recognizable art style in all of comics? Jason? Quitely? Moebius? Momoko? Who? Name anyone and tell us why 🎨

1 Aug

Unmasking, a sculpture WIP, my first!

This is the inside… hundreds of nails to viscerally represent the pain that comes with masking as an autistic person.

I’ve been living in Portland for 2 weeks now and I’m finally settling in. Every day, I’ve gone on a Whimsy Walk, where I choose a destination but wander my way in its general direction. Every block has something interesting going on, but just as interesting are the people! It’s delightful here.

I’ve been holding my breath all summer, carefully placing each step to get here so I can bring my daughter with me. Many things went awry and I had to pivot a lot. However, we are SO close to getting everything worked out, and I start grad school in a few weeks. I’m very very very happy to be here.

I had a very lovely time tonight dropping in on a live nude figure drawing session, right in my new neighborhood! My drawing muscles are properly stretched with some challenging poses from an amazing model. I’m taking that energy into a long night finishing a project tonight!

Holy fucking mind blowing realization, Batman: I’ve been toe-walking my entire life, but after years of dance as a teen, it never really went away. I just caught myself doing it in my new long hallway! I stopped like I hit a wall when I put it together. What a wild journey I’m having, y’all. 😵‍💫

I’m rewatching Murderbot for the 3rd time and now that I got the ASD diagnosis, I am screeching with glee at the parallels of the autistic inner voice.

Also using your hyperfixation tv series to understand human behavior and make sense of your own interactions through? Yeahhhhh

Oh Portland, why do you make me choose!?

Friendly reminder that tetrachromia is determined by the number of cones in your retina. Most people have 3, colorblind people have 2. If you have 4 cones, you won’t be able to test this on a computer by counting color bands. This can only be determined by genetic testing or lab testing in person!

I just saw a video of some woman saying if you have light colored eyes, more light enters and you see more colors. That is not how it works lol. The strongest indicator is having male relatives with color blindness, as that same gene expresses itself in females as an extra cone, aka tetrachromacy.

I’ve been studying it for years because I suspect I am a tetrachromat, but I can’t prove it unless I get tested. However, when I see sunlight on a white surface, I see a rainbow of colors, like it’s iridescent. I also have an extremely strong sense of color perception, particularly yellows/greens.

Post diagnosis epiphany: I never learned how to snowboard properly because of my autism as a kid! I had a lesson at 14 but didn’t pay attention, so found a way to snowboard goofy without ever turning left. I know, it makes no sense. I could never balance correctly & I found my own way anyway lol

26 July

I’m at a coffee shop and overheard some girls talking about how someone is cute but “he has donut powder mouth” and I burst out laughing before I realized they were talking about a black cat.

16 July

It’s my final night in nashville and I was visited by three Luna moths! 🥹

15 July

Squidling and a WIP!

Kelly McKernan reposted

14 July

14 July

7 July

You know what’s nice about 40? I finally know who I am, what I deserve, what I won’t tolerate, and how to trust my intuition. I also look and feel fucking great. It can only get better from here.

7 July

It’s my birthday! A big one - 40!? Lots of changes are afoot, including moving across the country next week and starting grad school in the fall. I was also just diagnosed with autism after years of questioning. I’m terribly excited to start the next chapter of my life. Thank you for supporting me!

7 July

What if Déjà vu is the disorientation felt from timelines collapsing?