Girl with Finger Waves - sold

Oil on canvas, 12"x9"

This is a portrait of a pale, blue eyed girl with finger waves in her golden hair. This portrait study ended up being oddly timeless, both retro and contemporary at the same time. The vivid, cherubic face and swan like neck have a Baroque, mannerist feel while her style is delicately minimal with a 1920's vibe. I like the bold strokes of the loosely painted lavender blue of the background.  

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

Portrait of a Ziegfeld Girl - sold

Oil on canvas 14"x11"

This is a portrait of Mary Nolan, a stage and film actress, singer and dancer who began her career as a popular Ziegfeld Girl in the 1920's. A luminous beauty who had a tumultuous life, I was inspired by her expressive face to create this painting in my version of the dramatic Hollywood illustrations and portrait style of the era. Based loosely on a black and white photo, I created a painterly background of deep peacock blue to offset her golden tones. She is soft and delicate but I am also pleased to have kept the brushwork loose and spontaneous throughout this painting. There is a haunting, soulful quality to this lovely lady that transcends time.

Copyright © Pat Kelley. All rights reserved. 

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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Flapper in a Pink Cloche Hat - sold

Oil on canvas, 10"x8"

There's something springlike about this flapper girl, She's winsome and fetching, long-necked with wide eyes peeking out from under the brim of a cloche hat. I'm pleased to have created a sense of form and very light-filled shadows on her face mostly with delicate shifts in color and tone. There's an Easter vibe...maybe it's the pretty matching pink of her hat and ruffled blouse combined with the pale blue of the background. The pink in her outfit might be displaying a bit more as a lilac shade than it really is. It's a sort of orchid pink, which teeters on the verge of lavender but isn't...and the background is a pale grayish blue.

I enjoy creating these girls from bygone eras, the style of the times adds such a feeling of character. They seem to arrive with their own lives and stories.

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Mood Indigo - sold

Oil on canvas, 10"x8"

This is a portrait of a moody flapper, one of those that took on a life of her own as I painted her. There's a feeling of mystery about this girl and she called for an inky blue background from which her pallor faintly emerges. She's a girl of dimly lit speakeasies, cool and self contained. I emphasized this muted tonality with soft, impressionistic brushwork and I'm pleased with the subtle hues I achieved. Her eyes are shadowy but you can detect a glint of emerald in their depths. I named this one "Mood Indigo" after one of my favorite Duke Ellington tunes.

Copyright © Pat Kelley. All rights reserved. 

Nude with Flowers and Lace - sold

Oil on canvas, 10"x8"

This is an impressionistic nude painting of a beautiful young woman with long, dark hair seated in a romantic interior draped with lace. I drew inspiration from Auguste Renoir's nude paintings and there is a soft, dreamy quality to this girl with roses in her hair, gazing at a small bouquet in her hand. I love the timeless, elegant quality of the figure and her surroundings.

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Portrait of Renée Perle in Black - 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 circa 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. He shot Renée in countless moods, here in la mode Parisienne. I love her dramatic and distinctive look. 

This is the second portrait that I've done of Renée. My first painting captured her in a St. Tropez look which you can see here.

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. 

The Wood Nymph - sold

Oil on canvas, 12"x9"

This is my version of a Pre-Raphaelite wood nymph. She's an ethereal, enchanted creature who wanders unscathed through misty woods in a diaphanous gown. Bedecked with a floral crown and violets in her flowing locks, she seems a bit wary and ready to take flight.

Inspired by the fanciful art of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, in particular the later work of John William Waterhouse, I kept this painting delicate and impressionistic. I like the effect of the silvery light and the soft brushwork which allows the figure to merge with her natural surroundings.

Fine quality prints from this painting are now available here.

Persephone - sold

Oil on Canvas, 12"x9"

I was thinking of Persephone, the goddess of spring when I painted this. It seemed like spring was slow to arrive this year, perhaps I wanted to summon nicer weather. There's something both old-fashioned and modern about this portrait, hints of flower-crowned festival girls, June brides and Pre-Raphaelite beauties. 

Portrait of a French Girl - sold

Oil on hardboard panel, 8"x6"

This is another of my portraits of imaginary people from the past. Don't ask me why she's French, that just seemed to come to mind as I was painting her. She was a difficult girl to paint, elusive, challenging, different. The paint didn't want to stay where I put it on the board but it created some interesting effects. She was painted in one very long session and the slippery quality of the paint made the brushwork rather distinct. It's an unusual look but I decided to go with it. The colors didn't blend quite like I'm used to but it retained a fresh, wet appearance even after drying.

As she emerged from the chaos of the painting she brought to mind smokey Parisian cafes, red wine and existentialist conversations. Mysterious, with a hint of deep passions, I could imagine a girl like this holding the attention of the Lost Generation.

Flapper in a Cloche Hat - sold

Oil on gessoboard panel, 8"x6"

There is a certain intensity to this girl. She's a bit fierce. This may be a result of the slickness of the board surface that results in the paint strokes keeping a certain edge. This makes for a bold look that's a bit different from my work on canvas. I'm not sure I have complete control of the paint on this surface yet but I like some of the accidental results.

Portrait of a Blonde Flapper - sold

Oil on canvas, 10"x8"

Although she's decidedly a girl of the 1920s, while painting this one she started to remind me a bit of Botticelli's Madonnas. The Cestello Annunciation in particular...maybe something about her golden hair and sweet but uncertain expression. So I went with a hint of Renaissance colors in the coral red of her outfit and the faded blue of the background.