T.D. Kelsey grew up on a ranch near Bozeman, Montana, and rodeoed for many years in roughstock events and team roping. Following that, Kelsey trained and showed cutting horses for several years and worked as a commercial pilot until 1979, when he resigned from United Airlines to pursue his art full time. An avid traveler, he has visited many countries on every continent except Antarctica, drawing and sculpting people and animals from all corners of the world.
A Cowboy Artists of America (CAA) Emeritus member and National Sculpture Society fellow member, Kelsey’s works can be found on permanent display at the ProRodeo Hall of Champions Museum, Charles M. Russell Museum, National Museum of Wildlife Art, Owensboro Museum, St. Louis Zoo, Gilcrease Museum, Krindler Gallery, Old Town Museum, Briscoe Western Art Museum, Buffalo Bill Historical Center and two museums in Spain. In 2020, Kelsey installed a 21-foot monument to the Greek mythology figure, Icarus, at an airport in New Mexico. In October 2023, the Steamboat Art Museum in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, will present a two-person retrospective and sale of Kelsey and his wife, Julie Oriet.
Kelsey has been featured in numerous publications including American Cowboy, Art of the West, Art Talk, The New York Times, ProRodeo Sports News, Southwest Art, Western Horseman, Western Art & Architecture, Western Art Collector, Wildlife Art, Rodeo News and Western Art of the 21st Century Cowboy.
