By Bonnie Gangelhoff
Kevin Llewellyn dropped out of a Florida art school and moved to Los Angeles, CA, about four years ago. All he wanted to do was draw, and school exams and projects were a nuisance. At 24, it appears Llewellyn made a wise decision. Figurative drawings by this up-and-coming young artist have already been featured in a number of major shows, including one at Forum Gallery in New York, NY. Llewellyn says he works 12 hours a day “until he falls asleep” and spends one day a week on commissions. As this story was going to press, he was completing commissions for pop diva Madonna—life-size portraits of her children as well as a painting for her film-director husband, Guy Ritchie. “I am proud to be in her collection, with works by Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo,” Llewellyn says.
When he is not completing commissions, Llewellyn says he is just as happy finding his own models on the streets of L.A. “I like to approach people with interesting faces and ask them to pose. I have a whole book of their phone numbers,” he says with amusement. “It’s an interesting life.” Llewellyn is represented by Gallery C, Hermosa Beach, CA; Forum Gallery, New York, NY, and Los Angeles, CA; and Morseburg Galleries, Los Angeles, CA.
Featured in “Artists to Watch” November 2003