Portraits in Pencil and Paint, a collection of portraits in various media by local artist Marty Kelley, will be on view from Friday, August 1st through the end of September.
A Reception will be held on First Friday, September 5th, from 5–7pm, with the artist in attendance to meet visitors and answer questions about his work. Kelley will also be holding an Artist Talk on Saturday, September 13th at 1pm.
Kelley’s portrait work seeks to capture not just the look, but the personality of the subject. Whether he’s working in pencil, pencil and chalk, or transparent watercolor, Kelley says “I search for ways to portray emotion, personality, and the very humanity of my subjects. I create pieces that connect us as people.”
“While we’ve had plenty of Marty Kelley’s artwork in the library via his picturebooks – we are so thrilled to be able to host his fine art portraits as well” said Public Services Librarian Aimee LaRue. “His portraits show this whole other side of his work that demonstrates how skilled he is at what he does.” Kelley says he is influenced by the portrait masters of the past: “by incorporating elements of contemporary masters, I have developed my own realistic style that forges a connection between the viewer and the artwork.”
About the artist:
For the past 25 years, Marty Kelley has worked as a full-time traditionally published children’s book author & illustrator. While realistic portrait work in watercolor and pencil has always been his passion, his current focus is split between creating highly realistic portrait art and abstract sculptures. Working with stone, metal, and wood Kelley creates organic sculptures that surprise and delight viewers by using the materials in unexpected ways. Working in two entirely separate ways–tightly rendered realism in portraiture and much rougher abstract work in stone–has afforded him time to explore ways the two disciplines can inform each other. Each way of creating makes him think in different ways and brings him joy when he's making art.
You can visit Marty's website here!
