Sherry Kelty
About this Craftsperson
Sherry Kelty is a lifetime resident of Indiana; she grew up drawing, painting, and creating. After college she dedicated her life to public service and spent 33 years as an Indiana State Trooper. Sherry never stopped creating, and she loved working with clay so much that she started her own ceramics business. After retiring from the State Police in the spring of 2013, she met a group of older gentlemen carving at one of the woodworking establishments in Indianapolis. They asked her, “Do you want to learn to carve? It’s free.” That’s all they had to say—and she was hooked. Sherry fell in love with carving and worked vigilantly to develop her skills. She entered many carving competitions and has had the pleasure of winning several Best in Show awards. On this journey with wood, she was introduced to the art of pyrography. While largely self-taught, in recent years she has had the opportunity to attend classes from nationally known pyrography artists. When Sherry began her pyrography adventure, she found it very difficult to find artists who would share their knowledge. It became her goal to share everything she could with her students, and MASW is proud to have her fulfill that goal here.