The Naked Silo

40" x 60", oil on wood panel, 2017, private collection This is one of two large paintings I did of Toronto-based musician, Kelsey McNulty, with the plan of submitting the one I liked better to the Kingston Prize for portraiture. I did this last time in 2015 (the competition is only every two years) with my portraits of George Meanwell (also a Toronto-based musician) where I painted him playing banjo and concertina and submitted the latter. I think this painting came out very well and I like it a lot, but I felt since Kelsey's a musician, submitting the painting featuring her and one of her instruments works better as a portrait,  rather than just a painting , of her. The big picture(s). Both portraits in their pencil stage (on the right is Kelsey with Accordion ) in my "winter studio" upstairs at Small Pond . It was like doing a residency in my own home, with me napping sporadically between painting sessions and coming downstairs only when absolu

60" x 40", oil on panel, 2017, private collection This is my portrait of Toronto-based musician, Kelsey McNulty, that I've submitted for the 2017 Kingston Prize for portraiture. She did a short residency at Small Pond last year and we did a little photoshoot around the grounds. When I saw the results, I asked if I could paint a couple and submit one of them for the KP exhibition. The other painting ( Kelsey Shade ) I did was equally large, but was a tight close-up of her face and, while it also turned out well, I chose to submit this one because the musical element made for a better formal portrait. Here are my previous submissions* for that exhibition: George Emlaw  (2011) Self Portrait (Shoulders)  (2013) George Meanwell (Concertina)  (2015) *The Kingston Prize happens only every other year. The big picture(s). Both portraits in their pencil stage (on the left is Kelsey Shade) in my "winter studio" upstairs at Small Pond. It was like do