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jenny kelley

A natural talent
by erika wastrom
Jessica and Liliana, or Mother and Child, oil on canvas, 16" x 20"

Jessica and Liliana, or Mother and Child, oil on canvas, 16" x 20"

At 25, Marstons Mills' Jenny Kelley is a natural at capturing an intimate moment and suspending it in paint. Using her family and friends as models, she has developed a fascination with portraiture. "I look for an emotional connection with the person I am painting," says Kelley. "There is always a story in a face."

In the oil-on-canvas portrait, Laura under the Grape Arbor, a ray of light flows over a girl's shoulder and glimmers across her face before getting lost in a tangle of vines. The portrait has an appealing softness, heightened by the interplay of surrounding scenery. In Three Kids Portrait, a trio of relaxed happy kids grin up the viewer with such sincere happiness, that it makes the viewer smile.

Whether captured in a living room or in an open field, Kelley's subjects seem a natural part of their setting. Figure painting has always been a part of her life, since the days when she was a fourth-grade student drawing Walt Disney characters at Barnstable's Cape Cod Conservatory. As a student at the Rhode Island School of Design, where artistic trends tend to be more conceptual, Kelley bravely stuck to her roots, and for her senior project chose to do a group of family portraits. The portraits are tenderly painted down to the subtlest details, from her subjects' relaxed expressions to the floral patterns on the upholstery.

Since graduating from RISD, Kelley has not only received many portrait commissions, but has painted more than 30 murals. The murals have a fresh natural look and have delighted customers looking for a way to add distinction to their homes. Painted in acrylic on a range of themes from an intricately detailed, 28-foot wide rendering of the Centerville River for a kitchen, to a whimsical fairyland for a little girl's room, the murals are priced by the foot. One large mural netted $4000 for the young artist.

"I am trying to make a living as an artist," says Kelley, who often travels to craft fairs where she sells her jewelry as well as sharing her art portfolios with any potential customers. "I just got my teacher's certificate and am going to start looking for a job teaching art. But right now, I love what I am doing."

 

Masterpieces in miniature

Barnstable Patriot

Written by Kathleen Szmit   
December 03, 2009
Kathleen Szmit photos

SMALL BUT POWERFUL – The latest show at the Guyer Art Barn in Hyannis, Miniature Masterpieces, features smaller works, 25 inches and smaller, in a variety of mediums.



Size does matter in new Guyer Barn exhibit

It is said that good things come in small packages. Good things, particularly beautiful works of art, also come in small frames, as evidenced by the latest show at the Guyer Art Barn in Hyannis.

Dubbed Miniature Masterpieces, the show features small works in various mediums by local artists. According to Mellissa Morris, Guyer Barn director, all works had to be 25”x25” or smaller.

“We’re always working really large in our classes and such,” said Morris, who collaborated on the project with artist and Guyer Barn creative coordinator Sarah Holl. “We wanted to turn it around and see what people would do with a small, intimate piece of work.”

The results, arranged beautifully on the walls of the Guyer gallery, are stunning. There are encaustic pieces by Carole Ann Danner, painted tiles by Alexandria Boudreau, detailed pencil drawings by Jenny Kelley and unique mixed media works by Barnstable High School art teacher Carl Lopes.

The pieces are as diverse as the artists who created them, and range from elegant nudes to bold mixed media collages, to soothing seascapes capturing the true essence of the New England coastline.

Though small, the works are strong and powerful, engaging the eye and encouraging the viewer to linger upon each intricate detail.

It is impressive to see just how the artists chose to utilize their small workspaces, some only mere inches. For example, Boudreau, working in a nautical theme, created one piece, propped on a small easel in a window, that can’t be more than 3x3.

While the pieces themselves are lovely, what also makes them so special is that their size actually makes them more desirable for the sheer ease of being able to show them in another venue.

Unlike larger pieces that may require significant wall space, Miniature Masterpieces can be tucked easily into unexpected places in a home or office.

Another plus is that each piece is priced at $100 or less, making fine art more affordable for collectors.

Those with an eye for art will want to peruse this collection of works that proves that good things do come in small packages.

Miniature Masterpieces officially opens this evening, Dec. 4, with an artist’s reception from 6 to 8 p.m. at the gallery, located at 250 South Street in Hyannis. Light refreshments will be served.