In this edition of Artist in Focus, Salt Lake City artist Jeffrey Hale shares his love for people-watching, hanging with his kids and painting comically embellished portraiture. Enjoy getting to know Jeffrey, and be sure to check out more of his work here.

What’s your earliest art memory?

I remember working on a project in Elementary School with an artist in residence. There were about ten of us and we painted 3’ x 6’ panels with all sorts of scenes - everything from dinosaurs and jet airplanes to outdoor movie theaters and aliens. I recall really looking forward to being able to work on the project because we got out of our regular classes!

What brought you to art?

I believe art chose me, or that I was designed for creating. I think I have a very unique way of seeing the world, very non-traditional. I am drawn to color, shapes and all of the details this world contains. I am observant, a people watcher, somewhat of an introvert. I express much of what I see through the emotions of my “portraits.”

What are you up to now outside of making art?

I love film - I try to soak up as many good movies as I can. I enjoy research and sporadic reading. But, my two young children fill most of my time and I love to be around them.

What was it like studying art at the University of Utah?

I learned a foundation of drawing and painting skills there. I am non-traditional and they were very traditional in a lot of ways - in particular with the use of triangulation as a means of drawing the figure. While a skill set and mastery of basics is essential, one must not forget there is poetry in painting.

How did you come to focus on portraiture?

I love to study people. The psychology, emotions, opinions and philosophies of all of us. I am most interested in the face so my work tends to fall into portraiture in a non-traditional sense. I like to interpret what I see.

I particularly love the work “Expanding your Mind.” I have to know, is the subject’s hair like that in real life?

Thank you! And, no, the hair is where I moved away from the idea of a portrait and embraced the poetry or the message of the piece. This woman is a mixture of reality and imagination. I paint from live models or photographs I have taken along with images drawn from the world I exist in. As a consumer, I am inundated with photographs and they influence me greatly.

How do you approach color selection?

I don’t agree with the concept that only certain colors are aesthetically pleasing together. I let the colors evolve as I go and try to not lock my self in a box when it comes to combinations of color.

Where are you living now? What’s the art scene like there?

I live in a suburb of Salt Lake City, UT. We are slowly growing as an art community. We have a lot of exciting art emerging and I am thrilled to be among this scene. That said, I would like to expand my market. We do have a fairly conservative crowd here in terms of patrons.

What advice would you offer to other emerging artists?

Do the work consistently and with persistence. Don’t put it off.

For more of Jeffrey’s work, visit his portfolio.