Warrior Princess 1985

Ken Kelly made this painting, *Warrior Princess*, and it feels like an action scene pulled straight from the pages of a pulp fantasy novel. The whole thing has this dreamy, almost airbrushed quality. Look closely, and you’ll see how Kelly builds up the forms with layers of thin washes. The muscles on that horse-thing are really something, aren’t they? See how the light catches the peaks and valleys, almost like a topographical map? And that mane! It's pure drama, spiraling upwards like a flame. The colours are saturated, but muted too – a very specific palette, of ochres and browns. It reminds me of the work of Frank Frazetta – that same love of strong figures and dynamic poses. But Kelly has his own thing going on too, a certain tenderness and an interesting combination of fantasy and science fiction. It’s the kind of painting that invites you to dream.