Elena Kealy

      I am originally from Russia but now live in wonderful Southern California.  The culture of my motherland has had a very profound influence on my personality and my perceptions.  Here I am, transported from a time that was the influence of control (with a degree in engineering no less!), but with a new view, from a new side of life, expressing my passion in the form of art.

    My approach to drawing and painting portraits is to add my own unique style to the realism of the person I’m putting on the canvas.  In addition, I can provide a creative background to either head and shoulders or even full-body portraits.  As you can see from the examples here on the site, I love to add action and movement to the scene so that the portrait becomes more than a still shot.  Thus, I am as comfortable with the classical approach for portrait drawing or as I am with an exciting background if desired.


      My portraits go beyond what’s in a dry photograph by adding a vibrant and living quality through the use of artistic technique.