She employs 17th, 18th and 19th century motifs, inspired by by famous examples of folk art found in museums and private collections. These traditional designs are derived primarily from German folk art imagery, song and book plate vignettes, powder horn engravings, frakturs and more.

"Through personal experimentation and research of period designs, I hope to continue to create a unique collection of symbolic images, combined with new color combinations and detail," Kennedy said. "I use historic shapes and antique forms to mold my canvas, using a terra cotta clay body. These pieces are decorated with colorful slips, engobes and glazes. Each color is formulated and applied with brushes and sponges,and then detail is applied with a fine brush. These pieces are fired in the bisque and then they are glazed and fired again."

Commissions are very popular, the artist said, and examples are Architectural Portraits, Wedding and Birth announcements, fireplace surrounds and inserts, kitchen and bathroom tiles, fund raisers for private schools. Historic landmarks are a specialty.

"A sense of fulfillment happens when I continue to show my work year after year at the same shows and my clients continue to build their collection of my work."

"The most challenging and satisfying works have been my Springerle mirrors," she said.

Using elaborately hand-carved cookie molds from Switzerland and Germany, she forms and presses tiles in redware. The tiles are then assembled on a hard wood backing with a mirror insert. The images are impressions of people, animal, bird and floral motifs.

Kennedy is recognized and judged by Early American Life as one of America's best since 2002.

Exhibitions

Gallery Americana, Houston, Tx.
Mount Vernon, Washington, D.C.
Imagine Art Studio, Smithfield, Va.
Abby Aldrich Folk Art gift shop, Williamsburg, Va.
Fort Frederick State Park, Big Pool, Md.
Contemporary Longrifle Assoc., Lexington, Ky.
Post Light, Philadelphia, Pa.
Reading Museum, Reading, Pa.
Lord Nelson's Gallery, Gettysburg, Pa.
Mennonite Heritage Center, Harleysville, Pa.
Dixon's Gunmakers Fair, Kempton, Pa.
B&S Gallery, Williamsport, Pa.
Art Center, Clinton, N.J.
Druid Oak, Hancock, Md.
Living History Market Fairs in Glen Gary, Va., Oak Ridge, Va., Mansfield, Pa., Woodbury, Ky., and Fort Frederick, Md.

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Mosaic tile insert for fireplace
This design was inspired by a pocketbook
embroidered in silk and metallic thread,
circa 1720-1750. These redware tiles are
hand painted using slips, engobes and glazes. The tiles are cut using techniques from the Henry Mercer Moravian tile works in Doylestown, PA.

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Tulip mosaic tile insert for fireplace
Custom designed, this fireplace surround
was inspired by the cast-iron window
grates found on this Circa 1848 home. The
tulip is a popular PA German design.

Below are examples of a new line by Selinda; these bright and lovely redware pieces are "Pockets" to hang on the wall.

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"Angels & Bird" $295
Mid-19th century Mennonite ink & watercolor by Samuel or Martin Gottschall, Montgomery County, PA.

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"Ephrata Cloister Tunebook" $275
Circa 1745, ink & watercolor, artist unidentified, Lancaster County, PA.

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"Mermaids" $295
1814-1819 Fraktur by David Cordier, Southeastern PA.

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"Four Roosters" $295
Late 18th century ink & watercolor possibly by Schwenkfelder,
Southeastern PA.

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"Rooster" $295
Early bookplate by David Ellinger

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"Parrot" $295
Circa 1790 Gift Fraktur
by Heinrich Otto, Pennsylvania

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"Bird Bookplate" $275
1806 ink & watercolor, unidentified
artist, Southeastern PA.

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"Pelican Feeding Babies" $295
1800 ink & watercolor, Bucks or Montgomery County, PA
The Pelican is an ancient
Christian symbol of devotion.

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"1775 Rooster" $265
Carved horn powder flask

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"George & Martha" $265
Circa 1780 ink & watercolor,
Sussel-Washington artist,
Lebanon or Lancaster County, PA.

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"Birth & Baptismal Certificate" $265
1792-1861 ink & watercolor by
Rev. Henry Young, Southeastern PA.

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"Wedding Fraktur w/2 Parrots" $275
1800 Hand-drawn, lettered & colored, unidentified artist, Southeastern PA.