Thursday, August 25, 2016

Portrait of a Redheaded Flapper - sold


Oil on canvas, 10"x8"

This is a portrait of a lovely redhead flapper girl. She manages the rare feat of being sweet and sultry at the same time. From her finger waved hair and Cupid's Bow lips to her pretty ruffled blouse, she looks elegantly vintage and ready for high tea. As I painted her she seemed so charming and fresh that I used a spring green background to complement her peachy tones.




Wednesday, August 24, 2016

Portrait of Duncan Grant - sold


Oil on canvas, 10"x8"

This is a portrait of Duncan Grant (1885-1978), who was a British artist and central figure in the Bloomsbury Group. I've always been a fan of his and that whole artsy, wild Bloomsbury group. They seemed to live exactly as they chose and defied quite a lot of conventions. Duncan was openly gay and loved by many, including the economist John Maynard Keynes and artist Vanessa Bell (Virginia Woolf's sister) who bore him a daughter and with whom he lived for 40 years until her death in 1961. I tried to capture something of his dreamy beauty, inspired by an old black and white photo and some of his own self-portraits.

I painted this using very traditional portrait methods in layers of glazes over a monochromatic underpainting. This technique creates a great deal of depth although it can also create some variance in the surface gloss as is often seen in antique "ancestor portraits".  I think this ads to a vintage look and in no way detracts from the painting in person (although it did make it a bit difficult to photograph) but I want to point it out just in case anyone doesn't care for such.

Copyright © Pat Kelley. All rights reserved. Copyright does not transfer with the purchase of an original painting, print or other merchandise.


Friday, August 19, 2016

Portrait of Renée Perle - sold


Oil on canvas, 10"x8"

This is a portrait of Renée Perle, inspired by a black and white photo taken by Jacques-Henri Lartigue in 1930. She was an early muse of his, possibly even something of an obsession during their two year affair. Renée Perle was a model for the couturier Doeuillet at the time of their meeting, remarkable for her exotic beauty and avant-garde style which looks fresh even today. I wanted to give bold color to that sun-soaked, carefree era in the Riviera and capture something of this lovely woman's unique charm so I portrayed her deeply tanned in white and linen against a teal-tinged wall of Mediterranean Blue.

Copyright © Pat Kelley. All rights reserved. 


Wednesday, August 10, 2016

Young Man With Blue Eyes - sold


Oil on Canvas, 10"x8"

This is a portrait study of a beautiful dark haired man with pale skin and vivid blue eyes. He's got a timeless, arresting look about him. I played up the high contrast in his coloring and captured the shimmering quality of the skin highlights. I kept the edges sharp and surrounded him with the color of cool air, the palest yellow-tinged turquoise. The effect is intensely lifelike and rather mesmerizing.

As one viewer said, "I know he's never gonna talk but I'm still listening...he's got my attention".