Irish painter and printmaker John Kelly attended the National College of Art and Design, Dublin. Kelly represented Ireland at Cagnes-sur-Mer in 1977 and received numerous prizes for his work. Kelly served as director of the Graphic Studio in Dublin for over 10 years and was a founding member of the Black Church Print Studio. He lectured in Printmaking at the National College of Art and Design. He was a member of the Royal Hibernian Academy and was elected to Aosdána in 1996.