He has a knack for painting the every day object or activity and makes it look interesting. He also plays with focus much as a photographer would, and that to me is what makes his paintings SO spectacular. Look at the trees or bushes in the background of the fire hydrant or lawn chair. both items are sharply in focus, but the tree behind the hydrant are completely out of focus. The lawn chair shows a great depth of field, as you see the chair clearly, and then the pool, and the bushes and wall are a shy out of focus and lacking detail, and then the trees in the background have no details and are just specks of color, playing with lighting and shadows. LOVE IT. I want the Lawn Chair framed in my house. There is something calming about it. Not to mention all of these photos have a mid-century vintage style to them, which is a time period I get excited about.
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He also dabbles in human subjects. But he does two very different and very interesting styles. The first being that he will show a subject up close, but cut them off at the eyes. They are usually in a very common or typical setting or are being caught in an every day action, but having them cut off at the eyes adds an extra level of mystery. It also makes it more subjective, because you can't connect with the person without seeing the emotion in their eyes. There are many things going on in these scenarios.
The man in the first picture doesn't look all that pleased. At first glance, it is a man in a suit checking his watch. Is he an executive waiting on someone? Is it late to an appointment or a job interview? I feel like this book he is holding is important. This entire painting is very neutral in color, but the book is a deep red. I love the depth of field, again, in this picture.
The woman in the second painting appears to be what I would assume a young lady on the beach. She looks to be dressed trendy enough, but she is apart from the crowd. And isn't smiling. Maybe she's an outsider. Maybe she's just getting to the party, and the look on her face is a seductive, teasing face. Her posture leads me to think that could be the case.
The bottom painting of a woman lounging on a diving board is just lovely with its bright colors, and again, no emotional connection to the subject, but maybe you can invision that it is you yourself on that diving board, soaking in the sun. Ahh, a nice mental vacation.
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The second style is portraits of people caught in the middle of an ordinary act, and feels very natural and organic.
A girl, feeling the heat of the sun on her hand and face, or maybe talking to someone in a window? I thought this painting was BEAUTIFUL, not only is the girl cute as hell, but the colors are magnificent and she looks so content.
A girl fixing the hem of her dress, or playing with her fingers and pulling down her skirt while sitting in a waiting room.
A girl, curious, listening in to something that is going on downstairs. This one is interesting because this is something you would be embarrassed to be caught doing, so it almost feels uncomfortable or anxious.
AGAIN WITH THE AWESOME PLAY WITH FOCUS!!!
If you enjoyed these, there are many more on his website (and the one that I first saw that caught my eye in my co workers office ISN'T on his website, which only alludes to the fact that there must be more to be found) you should absolutely check out his website: http://kentonnelson.com/
In and out of focus,
DML
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