Rhonda Kekke

Rhonda Kekke

Coralville, Iowa

Nelle Rosemaling

Rhonda Kekke (Nelle Rosemaling) is a folk artist whose decorative style is based in the Norwegian and Swedish traditions of rosemaling. Rhonda began her rosemaling journey after retiring from 32 years as a teacher and administrator at Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. She has benefited from many rosemaling classes offered by the Vesterheim Museum in Decorah, Iowa, where many of the top rosemalers in the United States and Norway share their knowledge and experience with others. Rhonda’s painting is not limited to a single style, but reflects elements of many styles that originated in Norway and Sweden. “Nelle,” her business name, is derived from her Norwegian grandmother and great grandmother’s names, Pedernelle and AnnaPernille.