Papa's is run by a loving granddaughter named Kell. 

 

Kell is a queer artist from Tempe, Arizona now working and living all around Ontario, Canada. Kell is gender fluid and wishes to go by they/them or she/her pronouns. Although she has always been outspoken and bubbly, it wasn't until her 20s that Kell started to express her queerness and love of all things rainbow. Originally her dream was to be an elementary school teacher but quickly found that they needed to work more with their hands and sought out a craft based program. Though now working in and loving ceramics at Fleming College, they one day hope to return to their roots and teach art. 

 

As an artist with ADHD Kell dabbles in a lot of mediums but their first love is ceramics. Ever since taking some courses with their Gramma at the local community center when she was 6, Kell has been inspired by pottery. It wasn't until 2024, 16 years later she started working with clay again. Outside the ceramic studio she enjoys working with jewelry, beads, fabrics, collage, painting and upcycling. In any medium, but especially ceramics, Kell enjoys playing with bold colors, textures and patterns. 

 

Besides rainbows, Kell is inspired mostly by people, their stories and human resilience in the face of hard times. Art connects people and allows them to tell stories in a universal language. However, after Kell’s Papa passed away from cancer in 2022 she felt completely disconnected from people and their stories. It was only through making art again that they began processing that grief. In honor of her Papa, Kell has promised to reconnect to humans and share in the joy of their stories through the process of making art. Currently they sell their art at markets under the name Papa’s Treats and Treasures, and on instagram. Kell is enjoying time off selling to focus on deepening her learning of ceramics at Fleming College in Haliburton, Ontario. She hopes to continue her education in ceramics this summer in Scotland. Kell is committed to learning and growing over the next few years and is excited to see where ceramics will take them. No matter where she goes Kell hopes to make groovy, playful and tactile pieces that springboard connections and the telling of stories.