Lisa Selby

“Mouth”, 297 x 420 mm, Oil on paper, 2006


'Nose', 297 x 420 mm, Oil on paper, 2005

Brighton, England artist, Lisa Selby paints powerful portraits, the subjects of which engage the viewer directly; often clearly mugging for the camera. They are fully aware of their audience and they relate to them as such. She uses saturated colors in bold painterly strokes, giving them an almost other-worldly quality. These portraits and self-portraits, painted after photographs, are truthful, if not brutally honest in treatment of their subjects. The emotions expressed on the faces in these painting are intense, there is a strong psychological reaction to each piece. Her website is nicely organized and includes several different projects and mediums. There are also artist comments included with the pieces that add some wonderful personal incite to the work.
www.lisaselby.com/

Chris Crites

Seattle based artist, Chris Crites makes rather unconventional portraits. His subjects are most often painted from their own mug shot photos. Also, he paints these telling portrayals of individuals under arrest on everyday grocery store paper bags. He captures the contours of their intensely expressive faces in limited palettes of bright colors. Attempting to read the hard luck stories behind the eyes of these lost souls of the past is endlessly intriguing . The color treatment and great attention to detail add a level of mystery and surrealism to these haunting works. Chris Crites’ website features several archives of paintings and drawings.
www.bagpainter.com

Ian O’Phelan

"Andrew" ink, colored pencils, markers, 8"x10", 2007


"Anonymous" ink, colored pencils, 8"x10", 2007

Ian O’Phelan’s drawings are clean and straight forward. His figures are wonderfully modeled with a liberal but controlled use of hatching. His line work is decisive and direct. The style of his drawing has an economy that give it a hip, urban, designer feel. His portrait series is great; he does an exceptional job of capturing the character and spirit of his subjects beyond only their features. His website features many of his various projects and themes.
www.ianophelan.com