Hitchcock Makes it to the Chophouse

Alfred Hitchcock, acrylic on panel, 24x24" SOLD

Here's another American icon for the Chop House wall. The talk about these portraits is growing all the time. Locals in Montgomery have fun tossing their 2 cents around about whomever is featured on any given week. I recently sold my Audrey Hepburn (I was very tempted to keep her to myself). This allowed for a couple more pieces to be placed on the wall. The crow's eye has iridescent paint in it and will glow in the dark; a detail that the restaurant staff was glad that I shared. I hope that you enjoy and if you are ever in Montgomery, stop by The Chop House and tell Patrick that Jared sent you. - Jared

The Shakey Hand Tattoo Parlor

Shakey Hand Tattoo Parlor sign, approx. 20x4" SOLD

This sign is painted on reclaimed pressure-treated wood. It is extremely sturdy and would make a great defensive implement next to any one's bed. Humor is always a nice addition to any piece of art and I had fun thinking of the "worst branding for a tattoo parlor". Of course there are many other names I may paint in the future, but this one made me laugh right when I thought of it. Everything is hand painted and distressed. As seen in the photo, screw-eyes are inserted in the top to allow for hanging. This item will be shipped with fine grade hemp rope, ready to hang. Stay tuned for more parlor names. Enjoy - Jared

War Eagle!!!!!!!

War Eagle sign, approx. 20x4", SOLD
(scroll below to purchase)

Here's a sign just in time for the greatest season of the year - Auburn football. I honestly think that I love Auburn football more than the Christmas season, though Santa pulls a very close second. At least my power bill doesn't spike by $200 during the football season. This sign was painted on reclaimed pressure treated wood. The weathering seen on the surface was largely done by hand, though I did leave the finished product outside for a while. I drilled two holes in the top corners for your choice of hanging material. I've used fine hemp rope in the past and it goes very well with the aged nature of the artwork. This would look absolutely awesome above a front door walkway or porch. Enjoy - Jared

My Own Mercantile Pillows

LEDBTR lobster, painted pillow, approx 14x14", $30 (purchase below)

For the last few years, I've nearly abandoned the use of canvas in my art completely. Thus, small mounds of canvas lye dormant on my studio floor, in cabinets, and tucked away in corners. Once again I turned to Restoration Hardware to dig for ideas and saw these faux-mercantile throw pillows. I decided to make my own in the same vane.

I took raw canvas and taped it to the studio wall. Next I mixed up a wash of acrylic paint - steamed milk and a touch of medium gray. After a couple coats of this mixture, I let it dry and then used a latex taupe hue to paint the lettering and logo. The taupe came from the hardware store's miss-matched paints in the clearance aisle. I think I got a quart for $1 - Gotta love that!!

I placed a few letter stencils on the pillow and arranged them until I was satisfied with the arch, leaving plenty of room to paint the lobster logo. I liked the idea of the letters closely approaching the edge of the pillow, perhaps even being cut short in the sewing. However in the end everything remained completely visible.

If you like relaxing on the sofa and rubbing your face on a 220 grade pillow surface, possibly removing half your 5 o'clock shadow in the process, then this material is for you. However, I have invested a little money in softer, more appropriate fabrics which make the texture of the pillow much more pleasurable. If you'd like to have a custom pillow made just contact me. Hope you enjoy - Jared

Farm Fresh Signage

Assorted Signage
Large = 4x20" $20 Small = 4x10" $15 , Scroll down to purchase a set

I have been accumulating lots of scrap wood over the last several months and have tried to keep my eyes open for a good use for them. Last month I was flipping through our Pottery Barn catalog and noticed this style of signage hanging in the background of one of the featured rooms. BINGO! That was the perfect use for these scraps. They are also a great platform for me to experiment with new techniques for distressing and aging my artworks.

If you are interested in purchasing one of these ready-to-hang signs, see below. Though the originals for this image have already been snatched up, I have plenty more scrap wood to reproduce each one. The great thing about this is that no 2 signs will ever be exactly the same. You may request your own custom wording as well. Just click below or contact email me HERE. Enjoy - Jared

Pick A Produce

Raspberries $20.00 Blackberries $20.00 Bananas $20.00 Mango $15.00 Peach $15.00 Custom Word $20.00

Type Custom Word here

Greg's Manshtaweenie... (Don't Worry, this is G Rated)

Hershey, acrylic on board, 9x12", 2010 NFS

I finally got back into the studio this week. It's been hectic lately with lots of traveling, car troubles, catching up at the office, and finding time to eat and sleep. I really notice a difference when I haven't painted for days. I honestly don't feel totally happy or totally satisfied unless I have completed a piece of art in the studio. It doesn't matter how big or small, it just has to be completed. Nothing is better than standing back sipping on a beverage and looking at your newly finished creation. It's an awesome feeling.
Which brings me to Hershey. I am an eleven year TALK RADIO addict. When I was 18 and working as a clueless bank teller (yes they hire clueless people as tellers. That should terrify you) I discovered the Almighty Rush Limbaugh. I've been hooked ever since. I listen to everything on the conservative (AKA: Right!) side of the aisle. I don't have even the slightest desire to hear what tripe the left is wasting their breathe on airing on other stations. From local talk radio in the early morning to Rush, Laura, Beck, and Boortz I'm catching it all. Recently, I have been impressed with Beck's promotion of local patriot artists, namely Steve Penley. This got me thinking about ways I might be able to improve my name recognition in a similar manner. I decided to send this pet portrait to a local talk radio host named Greg Budell here in the Montgomery area. He mentions his dog, Hershey, on a regular basis so I knew there was a good chance that Greg would appreciate the painting. After a few hours of having fun last night, the piece was finished, complete with Americana flare and drooling with patriotism. This morning I was able to drop it off at his studio with a note that asked him to do me just one favor if he truly liked the painting and that was to simply mention me on the radio show. It worked! Greg was generous enough to not only mention me by name but gave out my blog address as well. I can't wait to see what traffic this creates for me. The other positive is that my chances are good that any commissions that come from the new visitors to the blog will be from clear-minded, America-loving, Joe-the-plumbing, conservative patriots!!!! Thanks again Greg and best of luck in all you do.

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

Worth Two in the Bush

Worth 2 in the Bush, acrylic on board, 20x24", 2010 SOLD

I find it absolutely amazing how dog breeds innately understand the purpose for which they were born. Take this Vizsla, for example - a bird dog that never needs training. From the first blast of the shotgun's muzzle, this dog runs like a summer's breeze while keeping an eagle eye on the prey falling from the sky. And it doesn't matter what obstacles come before him; the Vizsla will simply conquer them. Water, fallen timbers, rough terrain.... not a problem. In the end this dog will bring it's owner the reward of his labor, and all while seemingly wearing a smile. Pretty amazing. In fact, is there anything that humans know how to do from birth that equals this amazing attribute??? Enjoy - Jared