Contemplation - sold

Graphite on paper, 11"x8.5"

This is a drawing of a handsome man in jeans relaxing on a sofa. It's a combination of portrait and figurative study of my favorite model. Somehow, even when I set out to do a figure study it becomes a portrait of that person. I like the open, lounging quality of his pose. It's so typical of the comfortably confident way men sit. There is an interesting combination of the classical and contemporary in this piece. While pondering his gentle, thoughtful expression I realized that this piece is about both my contemplation of him and his own inward contemplation.

I am a big fan of John Singer Sargent's superb male figure drawings and I've been inspired to explore drawing again after a long period of almost exclusively painting. It has been fun to focus on line and tone. I'm enjoying the spontaneity and expressive quality of these drawings.

Buy on Etsy

Male Sleeping Figure Study - sold

Oil on canvas, 9"x12"

This painting is a study of a man sleeping, a theme I have painted several times. This is the most painterly version I have done so far. I took the colors and brushwork in a more experimental direction, scraping down the surface a few times and using unusual colors, multiple layers of glazes and scumbling. It created interesting textures that I like and an impressionist effect. I played with the edges to create the visual effect of dissolving the figure against the light.

Copyright © Pat Kelley. All rights reserved. 

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. 

Man in Bed - sold

Oil on canvas, 10"x8"

This painting is a study of a sleeping man with light pouring across his back and the bed. I wanted to present the warm colors of the body in contrast to the cool tones of his surroundings. I kept the brushwork quite loose and painterly while maintaining a high degree of realism. I love painting sleep, trying to capture the essence of that peace and comfort.

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.



Also available on Etsy

Study of a Young Man - sold

Oil on canvas, 10"x8"

This is a portrait study of a beautiful dark haired young man with dramatic features and an intense expression. I focused on loose brushwork, keeping the edges soft and I used impasto in the highlights. His eyes are a riveting deep blue and I'm pleased that his mouth looks especially tactile while being quite painterly. 

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.

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".

Man Sleeping in Morning Light - sold

Oil on Canvas, 12"x9"

This painting is a study of a sleeping man in a room with light pouring in, highlighting his back and the sheets on the bed. I wanted to present the warm colors of the body in contrast to the pale aqua tints of the surrounding room. I kept the brushwork quite loose and painterly while maintaining a high degree of realism.

Fine quality prints of this painting are now available here.