Morning Mood - sold

Oil on Canvas, 16"x12"

In this painting a beautiful woman sips a cup of coffee after what looks like a rough night. I kept it very loose and had fun with the brushstrokes and a palette knife, creating lively textures and thick impasto. The background is abstracted and expressionistic with moody, turbulent shades of blue and gray contrasting with warm skin tones. I like the active surface quality and depth of this one. 

Copyright © Pat Kelley. All rights reserved. 

Woman with Red Wine - sold

Oil on canvas, 16"x12"

This is an original oil painting with a moody, vintage feel of a beautiful woman holding a glass of wine at a dimly lit bar.  Shrouded in smoke and mystery, she recalls a long ago era. I wanted to evoke a film noir mood and create a world-weary yet seductive femme fatale...particularly beguiling after sunset.

This painting is part of a series of portraits of women of the 1920's and 1930's. From flappers to starlets, I am very inspired by this glamorous and classic era. 

Copyright © Pat Kelley. All rights reserved. 

Woman in a Garden - sold

Oil on canvas, 16"x12"

This painting features a woman in long white gown in a rose garden. Inspired by the Pre-Raphaelites, I love evocative figures within beautiful landscapes that celebrate the feminine and suggest a story. This is an impressionistic, richly textured painting with thick impasto strokes in the flowing gown and the flowers. Romantic and mysterious, she's in a world of her own.

I've always loved gardens and flower gardening, especially old-fashioned roses with their soft, abundant petals. I think their nostalgic appearance amplifies the timeless feeling I seek and I enjoyed combining my interests in this painting.

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Woman Walking on a Beach

Oil on canvas 16"x12"

In this painting a beautiful woman walks on a beach at sunset in a long white dress, her hair and dress floating in the seashore breeze. I wanted to capture the warm, soft colors of the "golden hour" with the pink tones of the sky, sand and sea permeating throughout the painting. I enjoy evoking dreamy scenes that I would like to step into such as this one. I have always been inspired by the seaside imagery of Joaquin Sorolla and Frank Benson. Both frequently featured women in white dresses in coastal light. 

I had fun using a combination of vigorous impasto strokes to convey the movement of wind in fabric and very soft edges throughout indicating the saturated, glowing light of sunset. This made for a richly textured and painting of a beautiful figure within an atmospheric landscape. 

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Portrait of an Edwardian Lady - sold

Oil on canvas, 14"x11"

In this painting I wanted to evoke a fin-de-siècle mood. A willowy red haired lady in an elegant black dress creates a dramatic figure within a golden Parisian style interior. She reminds me of a character in a Henry James novel, or many of John Singer Sargent's portrait subjects...a beautiful young woman with a hint of mystery and turbulence beneath her composed exterior. While painted with loose, impressionistic brushstrokes, I enjoyed evoking details such as the rope of pearls and the charming cabriole leg salon chair in the background. 

Copyright © Pat Kelley. All rights reserved. 

Girl in a Sidewalk Cafe - sold

Oil on canvas, 12"x9"

This is a painting of a girl seated at a sidewalk cafe, gazing at the passing scene. I wanted to convey the pleasure of sitting with a cup of coffee, indulging in a contemplative mood. 

I was inspired by the Impressionist's many cafe scenes. Renoir, Degas and Manet among others depicted fashionable people of their era enjoying life. While the styles have changed, I like the continuity that some of these pleasures remain the same.

Copyright © Pat Kelley. All rights reserved. 

Nude with Calla Lilies - sold

Oil on panel, 7"x5"

This is a classical study of a red haired seated nude holding calla lilies. The figure is viewed from behind with a side profile. There is a lovely twist to the figure, and the soft light catches her face and flowers, dropping down her body to a classical sculpture next to her. 

Painted alla prima on a colored ground, there is a golden glow beneath the cool blues of the background. This painting is serenely elegant, unusually expressive and detailed for a small figure.

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