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Your Portraits

Growing up in a creative family, Kelly Grace started painting at a young age. Her paintings have a wide range of subjects including imagery taken from the vivid stories told by her farther.

SP: When did you decide to become a professional artist?

KG: Probably 2004.

SP: How did you decide?

KG: I've been in art school since I was 14. It's what I always aspired towards, but never really thought it would happen. In 2004 I had my first exhibition at the Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition. It went well, so I decided to keep going.

SP: Are there any stories you would want to share that stand out in your memory?

KG: Let me think here… I’ve done mostly group shows with artists who are friends, or my husband. I really can't think of any off hand…

SP: Your grandparents and father toured the United States as part of a circus, and you enjoyed the stories. Did these stories influence your artwork?

KG: My whole family is creative. My mom is a physiotherapist and she’s also creative. She knows how to draw but never pursued it in her life. I get it from all angles - creativity from my mom and from my dad - but mostly I get it from my dad's side of the family. Also, he's a computer nerd and avid amateur photographer, taking tons of photos when we were growing up. I’m lucky enough to have these photos to use as sources. That’s mostly where I get my inspiration - from the past, from our family - and also when he was growing up in California.

SP: Is this how you got into painting portraits, from your dad's photos?

KG: Not necessarily. I just really enjoy painting the face - painting portraits. I think it is the most interesting subject matter. I do paint cityscapes and landscapes but I always have to include a figure somewhere. I cannot paint a scene that has no people in it. Even if I am inspired by a certain landscape or cityscape, I always add, even if it’s by photoshop from other photos or a person.

SP: Why do think you always include people?

KG: Rather than just showing a street scene or a street at night, I think a person always adds more. If it has a figure or human person in it then there's something you can add - like a story. Not that I necessarily explain the stories behind my work, but I do like the viewers or the people that are purchasing the work to make up their own idea behind the piece.

SP: Was your experience on Star Portraits different from what you thought it was going to be?

KG: Well… I had a friend that actually did the show last season. I watched this episode, but really didn't have that much of an idea what it was going to be like. At first I was nervous, because the celebrity person is a mystery - until you get there. It was all very exciting. When the person is revealed to you and you instantly have to paint them - totally interesting - plus, the person I was to paint was pretty cool.

SP: Did you have any idea who the celebrity guest was?

KG: No, I had no idea. I was joking with Louise and one of the other artists - "Wouldn't it be funny if it was David Suzuki?" - ha-ha-ha - and then two seconds later he appeared (laughs).

SP: You were actually joking about it with Louise and then…

KG: We thought there was no way that it could be him (David Suzuki), and then it was, so it was pretty funny.

SP: How would you describe your work to someone who has never seen it before?

KG: Oh.. I don't know. That's a hard question to answer. It's very nostalgic. I use a lot of retro imagery and retro colour schemes. It is not realism per se - it is sort of representational and, I think, pretty impressionistic. A lot of people tell me when they see my paintings from far away they think "Oh, wow, that looks so much like a photograph..." but, up close the detail just sort of disappears and it's pretty messy.

SP: You had two weeks to paint of David Suzuki’s portrait. Did you feel any pressure?

KG: Yes, a little bit. With every painting you can spend weeks and weeks on it - especially when painting a person. I always wish I could spend more time on a portrait piece, but two weeks is what I usually spend on a painting. I didn't feel rushed or anything like that-- I did do my best and got it done.

SP: Do you have any upcoming exhibitions?

KG: I do, I have the Cabbage Town Art Festival September 11th and 12th. Also, the One of a Kind show in November.

SP: Do you have any future plans?

KG: Hopefully, I don't want to say fame, because visual artists don't really get that kind of fame, like as much as musicians or other art forms. I just want to be well known and respected in the industry. I want the people who are looking and buying [art] to always remember it, and always take something from it

Artist Stats

Kelly Grace grew up in York Region, Ontario where, at age 14, she started her training as a visual artist. She is a graduate of Sheridan College. Working strictly with acrylic medium, she describes herself as a representational painter. Kelly feels that she made up her own way of painting.

www.kellective.com