Painting an intimate process for Las Vegas artist

Painting a portrait is an intimate endeavor, artist Martin Kreloff says -- so intimate that, by the time one of his portraits is completed, what began as a patron-artist relationship almost always has turned into genuine friendship.

But Kreloff would agree that viewing a portrait can be an intimate experience, too. When else, after all, are we permitted -- even encouraged -- to stare, intently and at length, at the face of a total stranger?

Through June 3, Southern Nevadans with an appreciation of the art of portraiture can meet a few of Kreloff's patrons-turned-friends via "Made in Vegas," an exhibition at the Winchester Culture Center Gallery, 3130 S. McLeod Drive.

The show features portraits Kreloff has painted since moving to Las Vegas seven years ago. Some are of well-known people such as state Sen. David Parks and Marilyn Gubler, Sandy Valley ranch owner and former Nevada Republican Party chairwoman.

Others feature people who are less well-known to the world at large. For instance, Kreloff says, "when my friends have a significant birthday, I like to do a small drawing of them. Some of them are in the show, and they're always dear to me."

But well-known or not, all of the portraits are visual representations of the bonds Kreloff has formed with people whom he now considers dear friends.

Kreloff, 66, was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., and studied, lived and worked in such locales as Miami, San Francisco and Los Angeles before moving to Las Vegas.

Moving here was, he says, the product of a desire to simply "shake it up."

"I'm not a gambler, but I'm easily amused," Kreloff adds. "I could just stand and look at that Strip all day."

Kreloff's work encompasses a variety of themes, from commercial art pieces to Japanese-inspired illustrations. But he credits Wendy Kveck, Winchester Cultural Center gallery curator, for using his portraits to create a thematic spine for the Winchester exhibition.

Initially, "this was to be wide-ranging show," Kreloff says. But, because the space is relatively small, Kveck suggested treating it "like a little gem" rather than overpowering it with too diverse a roster of works.

Kreloff loved the idea. "I've worked with a lot of different curators, and she's right up there with the best," he says.

In doing a portrait, Kreloff uses photographs -- "many photographs" -- to study his subject. And, he says, "I spend time with my clients to try to get to know them. Then I start to put it together."

"It's an interesting process," Kreloff says, much of which involves understanding "how the client sees themselves.

"Very often, people will have different concepts of who they are than I will. I usually ask people at the first meeting ... 'Can I see some photographs of yourself over the years that (you) like?' ''

Kreloff also will note how they've decorated their homes and the art they have on their walls, and ask about the colors they like and don't like.

The process is "very intimate," Kreloff says. "I've said over the years that doing a portrait is like having a love affair. You're, in my case, for three months, every day working to put this image across, of understanding who this soul is, and the way they see themselves and the way you see them, and combining the two.

"Then, it's over. They come in, I unveil it, they cry, I feel good for their tears and they take it away. And it's like the end of a love affair."

Usually, the portraits then are taken to homes to be seen only by the subject's family and friends. The Winchester show offers Kreloff a welcome chance to see how portraits painted over a period of several years might relate to one another.

"I actually sat down and wept, hanging the show," Kreloff says, as he discovered the ways in which his work has evolved and, yet, how the pieces still relate to one another.

Kreloff also is happy to share with the public works that usually spend their time in private collections.

"I've spent a lifetime doing this," he says, "so I'm excited to share them and have people see the things I've created."

Contact reporter John Przybys at jprzybys@ reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0280.