Kelly Sturhahn: Ripple
Winter Haven Gallery is pleased to present Kelly Sturhahn: Ripple, a solo exhibition by the nationally recognized artist. Sturhahn’s work explores the possibilities of perception and experience through an investigative, process-oriented approach combining painting, drawing, and fiber arts. Her work translates sensory experiences with light, shadow, color, pattern, and texture in both natural and man-made environments. This exhibition features experiential, fabric-based paintings, along with ink and wash drawings, including new work, as well as a special selection of past drawings, many of which will be on view for the first time. The title, Ripple, encompasses the wavy lines, soft folds, and ruffled surfaces present in several pieces, as well as the continuum in Sturhahn’s expansive practice as a journey of connecting, discovering, and evolving. Her ink and wash drawings embrace the fluidity of the ink and reveal expressive reinterpretations of nature. Sturhahn often mines the same subject repeatedly, allowing it to transform through multiple variations. In her tactile, fabric-based paintings, meticulously hand-painted stripes in sunset colored paint peeks through black and white striped fabric that has been variously altered by cutting, tearing, draping, and painting processes. Smooth, straight lines may become frayed, angled, or curved, disrupting the original pattern to reveal optical movement and shifting color through exploration, patterns, shapes and imagery cycle through refinement, distortion and reinvention.
Kelly Sturhahn holds an MFA from Hunter College in New York City where she lived for many years. Her work has been widely featured in solo and group exhibitions with highlights including solo projects in New York at Ann Street Gallery, Times Square Gallery, and Skylight Gallery, and solo exhibitions in Florida at the AGB Museum of Art in Lakeland, and 6th Street Container in Miami. Her work has also been featured in numerous group exhibitions at Cheryl Hazan Contemporary (NY), Newhouse Center for Contemporary Art (NY), Prism Arts Gallery (PA), Woman Made Gallery (IL), Boca Museum of Art (FL), Tempus Projects (FL), The Space/Fardom Gallery (NY), Hudson Guild (NY), and Artists Space (NY), among others, and has been represented at Scope (NY) and Grendel Miami, Art Basel. Her artwork may be found in both private and public collections internationally. Sturhahn received an Artist Honorarium from the Newhouse Center for Contemporary Art in New York for her site-specific installation, Along the Hudson. Her work has been highlighted in various publications such as Exploring Studio Materials: Teaching Creative Art Making to Children, published by Oxford University Press, and an upcoming book by the National Audubon Society featuring artists selected for the Disappearing Birds project. Sturhahn was also a Visiting Artist and Lecturer at Ringling College of Art and Design in Florida, and an Artist-in-Residence and grant recipient at The Vermont Studio Center (VT), and at Salem Art Works (NY). She was recently honored to receive the Dr. Sarah Dukes McKay Fine and Performing Arts Award for excellence in the arts. Sturhahn is currently Foundations Program Director and Professor of Art at Florida Southern College.
The exhibition will be on display March 2, 2026 – April 3, 2026, with a reception on March 12, 2026, from 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm.
Free Admission
Gallery Hours:
Monday-Thursday
10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.