The Honorable James McGirr Kelly
 

The Honorable James McGirr Kelly was made the 55th Judge to serve on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania since the Court's creation in 1789. Appointed by President Reagan in 1983, he was highly respected, and served ably until he passed away several months ago at 76 years of age.

My misfortune was never getting to meet him except through the recount of his family, colleagues and staff. Through them and a staff photographer who captured Judge Kelly at his prime, about fifteen years ago, and a son of the Judge who willingly modeled his robe for me, I was able to get sufficient resource material for this portrait, commissioned a couple of months ago for the Court.

The resource image was handsome. Judge Kelly posed modestly behind the chair wearing his finest three-piece navy suit, and in front of the many stacks of law case books paneling the interior wall of his judicial chambers. By request of his family, and the Historical Society of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, who commissioned me, Judge Kelly was to stand symbolically beside an American Flag, and be dressed for the bench in his robe.

Fitting his robe over his suit in a virtual manner in the painting presented some challenges. Twice, Judge Kelly's son modeled the robe as he had identical build and height. At times I tried the robe on too and stood in front of a mirror to double-check out the natural fall of a sleeve. One of these days I will just have to acquire a robe of my own. They are so expressive and fun to arrange, and different every time.

Judge Kelly's son also stood in for his father to help me out with the skin coloration. I don't like to put much trust into photographs. They can really mislead in that regard, and it was most helpful studying a living subject.

This portrait was formally unveiled this past Thursday morning, June 23rd, 2005

The Honorable James McGirr Kelly
Oil on linen,
42" x 36"
The Historical Society for the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
2005

Thanks for viewing!

Garth

The After Event Report
 

The ceremony and unveiling took place in the Ceremonial Courtroom at 6th and Market Streets in Philadelphia. A couple hundred were in attendance, every active Judge of this court, sitting ceremonially on the two tiers of benches. Many spoke of Judge Kelly's kindness, generosity and distinctly Irish quick wit and humor.

Unfortunately cameras were not permitted for the Special Session of the Court. (At least not my camera)

Following the ceremony was a luncheoun at the Downtown Club, just two blocks away and overlooking Independence Hall. "Lunch" rather a dinner, was served for at least three-hundred in sumptious surroundings.

Of the photos here:
1. The program cover.
2. The Courthouse at 6th and Market Streets
3. The Downtown Club dining room.
4. The view down to Independence Hall

If you ever come to visit the District Courthouse, the Portrait is expected to hang in Courtroom 8A.

By the way, new Forum member Alexandra Tyng has a fine portrait hanging in Courtroom 10A.

Garth

Another incredibly executed piece. (Like we would expect different!) What I did notice is that the face looks a bit more painterly than some of the others, am I just seeing things?

Congratulations.

Thanks Jimmie,

Your assessment of the face is fair, and I appreciate your insight. I would like to be even more paintrly. This painting was completed within a smaller time frame than usual, to meet the pre-existing schedule of the ceremony. Without a doubt, I would have indulged more on the face, had I had more months to expend, but I am happy with it. From several feet away, as one would normally view it, it seems to pull together satisfactorily.

Garth

The warm light.
 

On a side note, I thought I should mention that I deliberately chose to maintain a warm cast to the light bathing the flag and figure. Yet not too much so. This was to reflect the incandescent origin of the principal light source. Ironically, I painted this in a full-spectrum fluorescent light, so that I could see and manage the slightly warm painted light with some confidence and accuracy. The brightest highlights are cooler in temperature. It just feels better that way. I wanted this warm glow to reflect the inherent native warmth of Judge Kelly's personality.

Following this warm path, meant keeping the red and blue in a warm key in the flag among other things, so the blue is less blue than one would expect. None of the whites are even closely related to a pure white.

Garth

Bang, thump.......ouch....

Garth your painting just blew me off my chair.

Unbelievably brilliant!

Thank you for also sharing the process with us. Something we can only hope to aspire to. Although I think I could be around 124 years old when and if, I ever achieve to this level.

Garth, congratulations on yet another marvellous painting.
Thank you for sharing the details. It is all quite fascinating.

I can only imagine the confidence one must have developed, to take on such an undertaking.

Garth,
You put so much love into every detail and value that makes it a pleasure to study your painting. Doing things right is rewarding in it self.

The light is beautiful and you are right that the highlights had to be cool. I like the folds in the leather at the right side of the chair. That personal flower sort of balances the formal flag.

I wonder if the V - shape of the lines was intended to make some perspectively expression. I think it does create coherence and energy to the whole painting. It also seems that you have painted the background strokes to support the direction of the V - shape.

This, I would like to see in person and study. I think you are loosening up on your brushwork. Bravo. :)

Best, Allan

Marvellous painting, Garth.

The close up of that hand remembers me at Mr. Rembrandt.
Brilliant painterly.

cheers

You've blown us away again! Congratulations!!

By the way, how much time were you given to paint this?

Garth, what a solid, convincing piece of work. Great edges, I think an earlier deadline was indeed useful.

For me you have said enough,and I don't think there was any need to paint more than you did! Bigger paintings need less details in any case (Harold Speed said).

Many many compliments
Ilaria

Congratulations!
 

Garth,

As you already know, I think this portrait is a tremendous success! Though it does help to have good reference photos, you have pulled it all together in a strong, simple way that reads so well. I am particularly glad to see the details--they do have a painterly quality that adds to the feeling of life. Very impressive work!

It was fun seeing the photos of the courtroom, the unveiling, the view of Independence Hall, etc.

Alex

Garth,

I have greatly appreciated being able to see your work (albeit at 72 dpi) over the last few months. It would be such a treat to see some of these paintings in person. I have been wondering about your technique. Do you do a lot of glazing and scumbling or is it more alla-prima-over-time? I'm sure I ought to be able to tell just by looking, but I can't. I think I remember you mentioning a 52 value greyscale that you use, which indicates to me that you are pretty precise right from the start, and don't get into the wholesale repainting that, for instance, I waste a lot of time on. Do you do temperature adjustments as the work progresses, or is that nailed down too? Sorry to ask so many questions, but I really am enthralled.

Thanks, Janet

Thanks All!
 

Ngaire, be careful there! I don't want to see anyone get hurt by a thumbnail! There is nothing particularly difficult in executing a painting like this. The main concern is just making sure all the various components fit together in a relationship.

Hi Tricia, it is good to have you on board here! Confidence is a fleeting thing with me. Sometimes even when it is a bit lacking, a fixed delivery deadline can take over that void! Just making oneself paint, ready or not, goes a long way.

Allan, I greatly admire your latest portraits, with their gestural, painterly style. It makes me want to see ways of introducing similar qualities in my work. I want to leave larger, bolder brushwork where it holds together. Frequently I will lose it by making fussy adjustments. It is important to sense when it is time to leave a passage alone, and move on. You are one who knows when.

Leslie, cheers to you too! That hand seemed to magically paint itself in a few strokes. I am not often so lucky.

Hi Michele. I believe I was commissioned at the end of March, although I had other paintings to finish first, and I did not realiy get a convincing start until a few weeks ago, after I first explored ways of fitting the robe on Judge Kelly. Even as late as two weeks ago, the painting seemed tentative, but somehow it got done despite a four day excurion to Arizona in the following week!

Dear Ilaria, thanks for reassuring me that deadlines can be a good thing! Being more painterly and editing out detail can give the subject more life and spontaneity. You are already a master of that!

Dear Alex, thanks so much for your kind words! You are already intimately familiar with this Courthouse, having a fine portrait of your own in their collection. Kudos! We will have to post a directory of all our various Distict Courthouse portraits: Courtrooms 8A, 10A (you), 17A, 14A(?), and another I have to locate.

Janet, such good questions: I tended to paint alla-prima on this and take it as close as I could to a resolution in one session. In truth though, this alla-prima is a great foundation, and retouching the cured paint a day later makes it no longer alla-prima, but I did glaze, scumble and wholesale repaint again, on the slightest whim of dissatisfaction. Taking breaks, even four day breaks is a good thing, to help me assess whether a passage is a finished statement or not. The most important thing is to summon the courage to paint even when not having all the answers yet in your head. Many problems will magically work themselves out, as if automatically, just by manipulating and pushing the paint around!

Thanks again,

Garth

Janet, you asked about my grayscales. On this painting I pretty much avoided using those precise grayscales, pretty much because they can be time consuming and in this particular case I had no time to waste. So essentially, I just painted everything with my best value and color estimate, and made rapid changes and adjustments on the fly.

It is often helpful to paint values in steps and stages, as from darkest first, through ever-lighter increments. In this way, at least the values will be organized into a good working relationship. With this established, many times simple adjustments and clean-ups can be quickly placed, and the whole process becomes very efficient and direct.

Garth

Congratulations, Garth!

And I agree with Leslie - I just got back from a museum trip to Washington D.C, getting to observe some Rembrandts up close - the closeup of that hand reminds me of R's work.

Wonderful Garth!
 

This has so much more life than the photograph of him I saw. I can't believe you painted this beautiful piece so quickly.
I would be interested in knowing what your usual palette is - maybe you have mentioned it before, but I don't recall.

Just gorgeous Garth! The overall piece vibrant and that hand is amazing!
. . . now let me get back to studying it ;)

Congratulations on another wonderful painting Garth!

These beautiful portraits are so inspiring! I had been debating what to post as a new member and viewing your wonderful paintings helped encourage me to go ahead and post a Judge that I painted. I am so looking forward to viewing more of your work.

I have just become your long distance shoe-kisser.

Excellent work, Garth. I would say more but my tongue was hanging out, dried up and fell off.

Wow.

Oh Garth, this is such a wonderful painting. You've brought a lot of sensitivity and wamth to a genre that too often can be chilly and staid. As always, I'm knocked over by your technical skills. (I keep looking at that brilliantly painted forehead and cheekbone as it turns to the shadow side.)

Congratulations again on another strong painting with great emotional appeal.

Another excellent painting Garth.
I recently showed some of your work to a friend and her reply was that you should be living in a palace painting royalty. I couldn't agree more.

My Palette?????
 

Dear Jane,
I am not sure if I ever shared specific colors on my palette, but why not! There are at least 40 colors I used regularly on this painting. Each painting is different, and I will vary the palette a bit. Having 682 tubes of paint, the palette changes from time to time. I love to hear what colors others are using too.

Going around the palette (from the bottom of the picture, clockwise):
1. Vasari Brown Ochre Lt.
2. M. Graham & Co. Ultramarine Violet (walnut oil)
3. Vasari Raw Umber
4. Old Holland Rauwe Omber #A69
5. Vasari Burnt Umber
6. Vasari Burnt Sienna
7. Vasari Caput Mortuum
8. Vasari Venetian Red
9. Winsor & Newton Light Red #120SL
10. Williamsburg Pompeii Red
11. Senelier Rouge de Venise
12. Old Holland Vleesoker #A343
13. Vasari Alizarin Crimson (the good stuff)
14. Mussini Kadmiumrotton #342 (cadmium red tone)
15. Vasari Cadmium-Vermilion Red Lt. ( yes, real vermillion)
16. Winsor & Newton Cadmium Orange #218SL (it's forty years old)
17. Gamblin Transparent Earth Orange
18. Vasari Rosebud
19. Gamblin Raw Sienna
20. Vasari Yellow Ochre
21. Mussini Neapelgelb Dunkel #232
22. Winsor & Newton Indian Yellow #319
23. Gamblin Transparent Earth Yellow
24. Vasari Flake White
25. Vasari Brilliant Yellow Lt.
26. Vasari Genuine Naples Yellow Lt.
27. Gamblin Cadmium Yellow Medium
28. Blockx Vert de Cadmium Clair ( cadmium green pale)
29. Vasari Cinabar Green Lt.
30. Winsor & Newton Sap Green #166SL
31. Winsor & Newton Veridian #692
32. Blockx Vert Turquoise (a cobalt turquoise)
33. Vasari Cerulean Blue
34. Gamblin Indanthrone Blue
35. Gamblin Dioxanine Violet
36. Williamsburg Courbet Green
37. Blockx Noir de Vigne (vine black)
38. Vasari Ivory Black
39. Old Holland Titaanwit (pure titanium white -no zinc!)
40. Vasari Kings Blue Ex Pale ( a nearly white tint of cobalt blue)

Hope that helps. I am in no way advocating the purchase of so many colors at once.

Garth

Dear Julie, Terri, and Kimberly, thank you so much!

Dear Linda E.B., I am so glad you were inspired to post your Judge portrait too. Welcome!

Dear Lisa, I have just notified 9-11 to rescue and restore your eloquent tongue. Thanks!

Dear Linda B., Thanks! It sure was nice visiting you last week!

Dear Heidi, Again, what a treat to visit out west! Thanks!

Okay you are probably wondering what that is all about. Last Friday and Saturday I flew out to Phoenix AZ, and saw firsthand, Linda Brandon's, Chris Saper's, and Heidi Maiers' Studios! They made me feel as though I were "living in a palace painting royalty" :D .

Below, we are gathered for a group portrait: Linda, Heidi, and Chris, treating me like a king! (I just wish I had combed my hair for the shot!)

Garth

I feel like a high school kid that isn't the cheerleader and isn't in the smoking lounge. I'm jealous of all of you and wish I had been able to take the tour. Was it Groucho who said, "I wouldn't want to belong to any club that would have me as a member?" Well I would bend that rule in this case. Looks like you had a great time and you all look so cute.

Dear Garth:

I know what you had to work from and the deadline they placed on you, and you still pulled off a portrait of the highest level.

A friend and I were recently looking at a Sargent and what becomes apparent is the simplicity of it, as if the head were comprised of merely a handful of well placed brush strokes. I see that simplicity and elegance here as well.

Well done!

Scott

Garth,

That is one beautiful painting. You seem to have the franchise on these important legal folk. Why would they want anyone else I wonder.

Are you sure you used all those colors? I can't seem to find number 21 - Mussini Neapelgelb Dunkel #232. No wait, there it is, sorry.

I too have been between those two beauties. My memory is of a beautiful outdoor garden cafe in California. The encounter raised my IQ a full 20 points, which brought it (briefly) up to a robust 110. Regrettably I have not had the pleasure of meeting Heidi.

Garth kept faking heat stroke and demanding cold drinks with umbrellas in them. He also made us fan him with giant palm leaves .

Ah, so true. But at least he is keeping his word to say only nice things about us.

Hey, Garth, I have been out for the past week, and I am likewise thrilled to see this marvelous portrait. Congratulations!

P.S. Mike, that was fun. I will hunt around for pic of us in the garden.

I keep looking at that photo of you all....
hear no evil, see no evil, thinking evil, speak no evil.... ;)

Wow!
 

Dear Garth, If would say anything, I'd be just repeating what others have said.
Another great work!

Dear Garth,

This really is an incredible portrait and I really admire your sense of color throughout the whole painting. I'll bet it is a really good feeling to have one of your paintings , or several in your case, hung in such a place of distinction!

Many Congratulations,

Julie
________
Dispensaries

Garth--

Really masterfully done...

I appreciate so much your posting the details and discussing the hurdles. I've got a judge commission coming up and it will help immensely to have see this.

The head detail is beautiful and instructive. I've been struggling tremendously the last couple of years over skin tones and still am very dissatisfied. For some reason, this work really speaks to some of the things I'm wrestling with.

Thanks for your generosity of spirit in sharing your approach.

Best--TE

Garth,

I do love the painterly quality of the face. Not to be silly, but the flag has a luscious quality to it as well. Beautiful warm portrait apparently befitting the subject himself . I do wish sometimes someone would take the brush out of my hang before I noodle it too much.

Between you and Alexandra, you must be literally covering the walls of Philadelphia's municipal buildings.

Dear Lisa,

If there is another opportunity to travel west to Phoenix/Scottsdale/Mesa Arizona, I would be tempted to drive out ( I need a new car first), and I would certainly stop enroute, in St. Louis, in order to meet you. I would love to see you at work up close! Consider yourself a member.

Garth

Dear Scott,

I respect you so much as an artist, and am grateful for the constructive feedback you gave me, mid stream on this portrait. You helped me to focus on the essentials with your no nonsense K.I.S.S. advice and wisdom. Knowing you thought I was off to a good start on this portrait went a long, long way to keeping my courage afloat, enough so that I was able to carry through and finish this. I meant to send another progress shot, but everything was changing so rapidly with spontaneous revisals, that I never got around to it. Thank you so much!

A high compliment indeed, Scott! I wonder who has even approached Sargent with such deft and elegant brushwork? I still need decades to grow in his shadow. But thanks just the same!

Garth

For the sake of variety, there are still a number of artists actively commissioned at this venue.

Well there is just a note or two of this color in the flag fringe. I believe all those yellows are part of the orchestral score of that fringe. I shoot for earth yellows first. If the color needs more fortification then I will summon the more chromatic yellows in a second rank of attack. I find it hard to get to where I have to go with just a cadmium yellow; I like a full orchestra to draw out just the right visual and chromatic timbre. Of course this applies to fleshtones and everything else in the painting.

A full array of reds was most helpful for color development in the flag stripes. For that long downward semi-shadow stripe, the color was simply modulated principally with just two reds: the Mussini Cadmium Red Tone (which is a sopisticated equivalent hue of cadmium red medium), and the Winsor & Newton Light Red (which is a warm, robust, earth red). The more lit parts were an equal admixture of those two reds, while the deeper parts modulated to mostly the Light Red (which looks greener and more receding in that relationship).

When I arrived and met them, Linda and Chris told me they had a great time with you that day in California. When I realised Heidi was within an hour's drive of the others, I was so glad she could join us also. My I.Q. and self esteem seemed to surge for the day as well!

Garth

Garth,

You have a way of turning the traditionally stuffy, pompous, boring, judicial portrait, into one of warmth and character. Plus the fact that the technique is flawless. I can learn much from you and try every day.

Jean

:D I should admit that group photo was actually a Photoshop frankenstein creation! At one point, Chris was endowed with fifteen fingers! A little quick editing was needed.:oops:

Thanks for the drinks, tiny umbrellas and palm leaves!

Garth