Lost in Thought - sold

Oil on canvas, 16"x12"

In this painting a handsome nude man stretches with his hands clasped behind his head. Light pours from a window to define his lean body which stands out from the shadowy interior. He gazes outside, his expression distant and enigmatic. The darkness of the background has a deep green tint. This is a classic figure study yet steeped in mood. 

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

Shadowy

Charcoal and white pastel on paper, 12"x9"

This drawing is a charcoal portrait study of a man in moody lighting. The deep shadows place a strong emphasis on the sculptural qualities of the face, especially the sensual mouth. I kept the drawing touch soft and suggestive even while it has very bold, dark tones. I like the dramatic and mysterious look of this one.

In between painting larger and more complex oil paintings I'm finding monochromatic drawings on paper to be a refreshing change. It's relaxing to be able to focus on value and form in a simpler way even while something of a challenge to be without the handy tools of warm/cool hues to create depth.

Copyright © Pat Kelley. All rights reserved. 

Cesar Reading in Bed - sold

Oil on canvas, 12"x9"

This is a classic nude study of a man sitting in bed reading while bathed in natural light from an unseen window. There's a poetic quality to the scene, as though he just woke up, reached for this book and was transfixed by what he read. I love the luminosity of his body against the darkness of the room, the way the light bounces off the sheets and envelopes him. I had fun with the varying hues and impasto texture in the sheets and especially enjoyed the glow of the brilliant light hitting his inner thigh.

Man Sleeping in Antique Bed - sold

Oil on canvas 14"x18"

This painting is a classic male nude of a sleeping figure in an antique bed. The model is angled across the bed with the white sheets framed by the dark tones of the wooden bed and room interior. There is a vigorous, painterly quality to the brushwork while maintaining a high degree of realism. It's a contemporary work but the interior details and classical technique rich with impasto imbues it with a vintage feel. This is a sleeping figure but something about this figure, perhaps the bold foreshortening and the strong diagonal of the figure conveys a restless energy.

Copyright © Pat Kelley. All rights reserved. 

Reclining Male Nude - sold

Oil on canvas, 9"x12"

This painting is a study of a handsome man lounging on a sofa, enjoying a nap. I love painting sleeping figures and this one was especially fun and challenging because the hand is central. Hands are actually rather difficult to paint well and they can be quite expressive. Whenever a hand is part of a composition I have to take care that it doesn't become a portrait of the hand because I love painting them. I kept the brushwork vigorous and sketchy to contrast with the languor of the figure.



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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.

Man in a Hot Tub - sold

Oil on hardboard panel, 10"x8"

This painting is a combination of figure study and portrait with a water element...several things I really enjoy. The movement of the water was a great challenge to paint, as was the wet skin and hair. There's something calming yet lively about this painting.