Do-it-Myself Restoration Hardware

Before image

Finished Product

Details of clock frame

This was my relaxation for the weekend. After a hard week of work and not enough time to paint in the studio I came home on Friday and saw that I had received my Restoration Hardware catalog. I have been drawn to vintage, antique items for the last several years, namely due to my beautiful bride who has always been shrewd enough to see the value in the vintage. Often I see items that I'd love to own in these catalogs but don't have thousands to spend on a lamp! The thought that goes through my head is "I could duplicate that!" So to get the creative juices flowing and to find some solace I decided to paint my ubiquitously commercial wall clock so that it resembled the more awesome $300 wall clock in the summer catalog. I started by drawing in a few essential measurements and then based the clock in a mix of slate grey and black. The numbers were then painted in two tones and the dividing lines and typography were rendered in white charcoal. The hands of the clock were neck-tie in shape and I decided to base them in the same dark base color of the clock face. This camouflaged the hands and gave me the opportunity to used metallic paints to create a more ornate hand design. The end product is a very tromp l'eoil effect. Lastly, I aged the clock frame which was originally silver in color. Now, a $3 clock looks like a $100 design element. I hope this inspires you to make your own treasures. Enjoy - Jared

Presidential Portrait Commissions - Finished

Presidential Portrait Commissions, acrylic on board, 10x12.5", 2010

Collection of John Anzalone

Some of you may remember that I have been working on these Presidential Portraits for sometime now. They were commissioned of me by John Anzalone, a democratic pollster who manages Anzalone Liszt Research. The last of these portraits was LBJ which I was able to deliver on Monday. It felt great to finish such a long string of commissions, which not only included these five paintings but four graphite portraits of children. I anticipate more work in the future from John and look forward to seeing it hanging on the walls of his business.

If you are interested in commissioning a portrait or other work of art, please contact me at jaredkelley@bellsouth.net and we will get started on designing your new masterpiece. Enjoy - Jared

Who Knew Yard Work is High in Fiber?

Weed-eater, acrylic on board, approx. 12x8", 2010 SOLD

This was a quick study. I pushed a few bold colors that I"ve had sitting on my palette over the last couple of weeks. The photo doesn't do the violets, blues, and reds justice. I'm reminded of my sister's Shih Tzu, Gizmo. When he was still a pup he had a bad habit of eating anything he could find in the backyard during his potty breaks... and I DOO-DOO mean anything! Luckily, he's broken of those bad habits, but I suppose it's a natural urge for animals to eat a little greenage here and there. My cats will eat grass whenever I track a little indoors after cutting the lawn. I've heard that they will eat grass to help clear out their digestive system. I guess I understand; if I ate some dirty lawn mulch I guarantee that I'd have a cleared digestive system in about 5 seconds flat. Kids: don't try this at home! - Enjoy the art - Jared