Kellyn Sanders would not have considered herself an artist until her senior year of high school, when she picked up a pencil, started drawing, and ended up winning the senior art award. Two years later, several semesters into a pre-nursing degree, Kellyn realized she didn’t want a career that looked the same every day. She searched Google for careers in art and science and found her passion in the field of medical illustration. Armed with a BFA and undergraduate minors in anthropology and biological sciences from GVSU, Kellyn soon landed a spot in the highly competitive Master’s Degree program at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. As a student her thesis project involved reconstruction of a 17- million-year-old primate fossil. When fossils are found, they cannot be removed from their country of discovery. Kellyn used micro-CT data to create a 3D model of a fossil that is available to professionals and students around the globe. She is now a Board-Certified Medical Illustrator.
In her everyday work Kellyn serves alongside a military Joint Trauma System, creating medical illustrations for combat casualty care. Previously, she worked for WebMD creating 3D medical animations that translate complex science into clear, empathetic visuals for patients. Kellyn also provides medical and scientific illustration for Oakland University’s School of Medicine. While Kellyn finds the illustration she does remotely from home rewarding, she also finds she needs community and a chance to work with her hands. Illustration work is almost entirely digital, so having another artistic practice allows her to be creative while working with her hands and connecting with people.
Kellyn and her husband participated in a couple’s throwing class at the Holland Area Arts Council for a Valentine experience in 2025, and Kellyn found herself hooked, as she hadn’t been involved with ceramics since 2012. She took more classes through the Arts Council and hasn’t stopped working with clay since. Kellyn is currently making tiles featuring illustrations of locations around Michigan, including Holland. “Busy hands make a quiet mind. I like to stay busy,” she says.
Kellyn will serve as Herrick District Library’s Maker-in-Residence for the spring season. Her interest in the opportunity sprung from her curiosity around the intersection of digital/3D art and the very traditional craft of ceramics. She has cut templates for textures, created stencils, and pursued other ideas with ceramics that play with her experience in modeling. “There’s a lot we can do to tie these things together,” she states. “People are interested in stamps, 3D printed textured rolling pins, and more.” Kellyn says Holland area community members have access to the resources required to 3D print them, and she’s hoping to help people feel more comfortable using those resources.
“Just get in there and try it,” she says. “Don’t be afraid to fail. Failing is the most fun part of creating!” Kellyn hopes to inspire others in the pursuit of their craft while cultivating curiosity and experimentation within the 3D space. “When we get into our routines as adults we often stop creating,” she explains. “Ceramics is not very forgiving. You can’t fall in love with something until you take it out of the kiln – twice. So many iterations are required that you can’t get too attached. Failing must become fun.”
Observe Kellyn at work and ask her questions during one of seven drop-in sessions found at herrickdl.org/events. Interested patrons may also register for a two-part class called “Digitizing Ceramics” with sessions on April 29 and May 15. The class will partner with the Holland Area Arts Council to bring ideas to life using digital tools inside Groundworks at the Main Library and the ceramics studio at the Arts Council. Registration for “Digitizing Ceramics” begins April 15 and is also available at herrickdl.org/events.