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.

I’m always trying to achieve a certain realism in my paintings while also creating a sense of mood and an inner life. This painting really got there for me, like having someone fascinating in the room and I was happy that others felt that energy too. I was excited that it sold quickly but sad to see him go at the same time.

April 9, 2018 by Pat Kelley Categories: PortraitTags: blue eyes, contemporary realism, figurative painting, fine art, handsome man, male figurative art, male model, male painting, male portrait, original oil painting, representational art 2 Comments

Man Sleeping – sold

Oil on Canvas, 10″x8″

This painting is a study in serenity and light movement. I wanted to explore cool flesh tones with soft light and edges. There’s something very calming about a sleeping figure and this is highlighted by the quiet shades of blue throughout. I’ve seen many paintings with sleeping female nudes but I wanted to feature a man instead. It’s an unusual context that gives a vulnerable and tender aspect to the masculine form.

Upon reflection I think that’s what I wanted to capture. That moment of peace. There is no guile or malice in a man asleep. He is free of his conscious torments, childlike and pure. Sleep is a wonderful thing that I rarely get enough of and I like to celebrate these simple, precious things in life.

December 2, 2017 by Pat Kelley Categories: figurativeTags: contemporary realism, fine art, male figurative art, male nude, male painting, man in bed, original oil painting, representational paintings, sleeping man 2 Comments

Reclining Nude in Bed – sold

oil on canvasboard, 5″x7″

This figure study captures the direction and movement of morning light on a reclining nude. I don’t normally crop figures this way but I like how it emphasizes the angles and shapes. I also enjoyed observing the light and shadows both on the figure and in the light and dark areas of the bed and background. I like how it turned out. I think the closer focus on the figure allows for more detail at the same time it creates bolder shapes which gives this small painting great presence.

 

March 20, 2017 by Pat Kelley Categories: figurativeTags: contemporary realism, female figurative art, female nude, figurative painting, fine art, oil painting, representational paintings 2 Comments

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.

January 11, 2017January 11, 2017 by Pat Kelley Categories: figurative, PortraitTags: beautiful girl, female figurative art, female portrait, fine art, lost generation, original oil painting, pretty face, representational paintings, vintage look, woman with dark hair 2 Comments

Nude in a Red Chair – sold

Oil on hardboard panel, 7″x5″

While painting this one I focused on the angles and the light falling across the figure. It’s a serene seated pose but I like the energy produced by the various angles of the arms and legs. The unusual vintage chair and the paneled interior add to the timeless charm of this painting.

This model is just as naked as the one in my previous painting, Standing Male Nude, but so far no one who’s seen it has had any discomfort with her body or level of nudity. Everyone also seemed to think that my earlier female nude, Woman in Bathtub – sold was just a nice painting. It’s a minor thing but interesting to me that male bodies seem to trigger a reaction of mild discomfort, even in a painting, whereas a female nude is seen as pretty standard stuff.

May 18, 2016September 19, 2016 by Pat Kelley Categories: figurativeTags: female nude, figurative, fine art, nude painting, nude woman, oil painting, realist, representational art 2 Comments

Standing Male Nude – sold

Oil on hardboard panel, 12″x9″

This painting is a classic figure study. Figurative subjects are my favorite and I love the challenge of painting nudes. Especially male nudes as they tend to have more defined musculature. There are few things more difficult to paint than the human body and I have to admit that the contrapposto stance gave me some trouble…but I think I pulled it off.

I was told by a male friend that I made the penis too large in this painting. I wasn’t trying to be shocking or make a statement here, the model’s penis just happens to be on the large side. But this comment made me wonder, do artists have to “tone down” that part of the body or risk having it come off as erotica? It’s just a normal part of a human body, why is there so much baggage? If a female model happens to have large breasts is it somehow more tasteful or artistic to shrink those? I spent a lot of time in art school drawing whoever happened to be naked in front of me on the model stand, did this throw me out of alignment with what regular people see in a nude? Obviously there’s no answer to the various questions that occurred to me but it does make me wonder….

May 17, 2016September 19, 2016 by Pat Kelley Categories: figurativeTags: fine art, male art painting, male figurative art, male nude, original oil painting, realist, representational art 3 Comments

Portrait of a Redhead – sold

Oil on hardboard panel, 10″x8″

Playing with color again. The starting point for this painting was an old black and white photo so that left a lot of room for invention. I’m not sure where the red hair came from but she seemed to want to be a redhead and it was fun to paint.

I’m finding that conveying emotion is increasingly important to me in these “portraits”. Even though they are largely invented from my imagination they also seem to create themselves and have their own personalities. Happily, I’m starting to relax with this odd feeling that I’m not in complete control and trusting what emerges in my paintings.

May 9, 2016May 9, 2016 by Pat Kelley Categories: figurative, PortraitTags: beautiful face, fine art, original oil painting, realist, red haired woman, representational art 3 Comments

Portrait of a Girl in Pink – sold

Oil on hardboard panel, 7″x5″

Experimenting with mood, expression and color combinations. Trying to create a completely new painting frequently is quite a challenge but I enjoy when I find it taking me in different directions. I’m finally finding myself departing from tight realism and evolving a more fluid and personal style which has long been an elusive goal. I’m still a realist painter and interested in depicting a person rather than a cartoon (not that there’s anything wrong with that, just not something I want to do) but in this case I’m happy to find a touch of whimsy and personality.

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May 8, 2016December 1, 2016 by Pat Kelley Categories: figurative, PortraitTags: beautiful face painting, female figurative art, fine art, girl portrait, oil painting, realist, representational art 6 Comments

Woman in a Blue Bikini – sold

 

Oil on hardboard panel, 7″x5″

This painting expresses the essence of a beautiful day at the beach…the brilliant light, sharp shadows and dazzling colors of sea and sand. I like how the golden hue of the sand and the cool blues of the water are echoed in the girl’s hair and skin and bright turquoise bikini.

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April 8, 2016May 13, 2016 by Pat Kelley Categories: figurativeTags: beach, bikini, figurative, figure study, fine art, original oil, realist, woman Leave a comment

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.

April 2, 2016 by Pat Kelley Categories: figurativeTags: figurative, fine art, male nude, man, oil painting, original oil, realist Leave a comment