Michael Jackson, The King Of Pop - 18"x24" Oil on Canvas by David O'Keefe

David's Inspiration

18"24" Oil on Canvas

I painted "The King of Pop" in 2009, at the same time I painted Elvis, so they have the same palette. Michael is shown in his glory days, the early 1980s, when he was suddenly popular again after "Thriller'' came out with "Beat It'' and "Billie Jean'' and after his appearance on the Motown 25th anniversary special when he did the moonwalk.

About David O'Keefe Master Sculptor and Passionate Painter

Raised on Hollywood, sports and rock and roll music, David O'Keefe has an acute awareness for the images and personalities that have colored the lives of his generation. He just sees things differently - more intensely, edgier, somewhat more perspicuous than the average spectator. The pop culture icons that we idolize, glamorize and glorify, O'Keefe visualizes for us in all their humanness as well as their stardom.

An editorial illustrator for over 25 years, O'Keefe began his art career at The Tampa Tribune as a promotion artist, dabbled in editorial cartooning under mentor, Wayne Stayskal, and spent several years as the Special Project's Illustrator for the newsroom. His sardonic caricatures and humorous illustrations have appeared on the covers of Sports Illustrated, Sports Illustrated for Kids, Mad Magazine, The Village Voice and within the pages of TIME. His advertising clients include Coca-Cola, WaffleHouse, Fuji and SunCom Communications.

In 2007, David left his day job to pursue his passion of painting and sculpting pop culture icons. O'Keefe's work is transformative, capturing not just the likeness of his subjects, but their personalities as well. He has recently released an epic depiction of the characters from The Godfather and of the entire I Love Lucy cast. His company, David O'Keefe Studios, distributes his work through galleries across the country and in Europe. David O'Keefe Studios also operates a solo gallery on St. Armand's Circle in Sarasota, Florida.

O'Keefe's work has won numerous awards from such organizations as The Society of Illustrators (NY and LA), American Illustration, Communication Arts, National Headliner Awards, Dimensional Illustrators, and the Society of News Design.

He considers himself blessed to pursue his dream and finds great joy in his work and in his family. O'Keefe currently resides in the Tampa Bay Area with his wife, Janice and their four children.

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