Artist Of The Week: Kelvin Okafor Is The King Of Life-Like Portraits

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Kelvin Okafor is a hyper realist artist who specializes in drawing life like portraits about ordinary people and celebrities. In talking about his work, Okafor said,”I love to draw faces. Each face to me tells an intriguing story regardless of age, gender, race or background. In the process of putting pencil to paper, I begin by drawing in sections/stages. Since I was a child I have always created drawings this way. I visually dissect facial features – I study them and then I put them back together like pieces in a puzzle. This method of creating helps me understand expressions and also helps me appreciate the lengthy process each portrait drawing takes. The essence of my art is not to just reproduce or make a replica of a visual image but to capture an honest expression which has a narrative. On average, each drawing takes around 100 hours to complete. Whilst capturing and studying a subject model from life, It’s of absolute importance to me that they are in an environment they feel most comfortable in. From experience, I have found that comfort and familiarity to a sitter’s surroundings helps with them expressing themselves more naturally and openly.” Okafor as won numerous awards some of which includes the Catherine Petitgas Visitors Choice Prize, part of the National Open Art Competition.

Photo Credit: Kelvin Okafor

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