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A refreshing basket of juicy red apples after a rainstorm. Raindrops slowly dry under the warm sun as leaves rustle in the cool wind. Artist Nikolay Rizhankov...
21st Century and Contemporary American Realist More Art
Oil
Artist Comments
Two geese turn to regard the viewer along the grassy bank of a quiet lake. "Growing up with my older sister, my mom would always dress us in the exact same clothes," shares Jo Galang. "With the same haircut and similar looks, people would always mistake us for twins since we were almost the same size and height. It was fun back then but as we grew up, we each evolved into our own distinct personalities."
About the Artist
Artist Jo Galang expresses a quiet nostalgia in her airy interpretations of the landscapes and waterways of the Pacific Northwest. Her soft oil paintings capture the meditative sounds of rivers and waterfalls flowing past her easel. During the summer, she spends as much time as possible outside creating plein air sketches and studying the light on the landscape. As a young art student in the Philippines, Jo was privileged to study with the renowned painter Danilo Dalena, who she says encouraged her to be the artist she is today. "I believe my art looks simple enough that people have no idea how much time I have spent working on it," she says. When she is not painting, Jo and her husband enjoy taking road trips, playing cards and finding creative ways to spend time with their granddaughter.
Words that describe this painting: animals, birds, Canada geese, geese, lake, landscape, nature, summer, water, waterfowl, grass, classical, wildlife, animals, classical, realism, representational, oil painting, green
Two Peas in a Pod...
21st Century and Contemporary American Realist More Art
Oil
Artist Comments
"The still life is simple, but the combination of red and gray gives it sophistication," says artist Nikolay Rizhankov. A well-worn table stands against a muted background with cracks on the wall. A basket, a few apples, and a red mug...
21st Century and Contemporary American Realist More Art
Oil
Artist Comments
"The Galapágos hawk (Buteo galapagoensis) is the same genus and size as the North American Red-tailed Hawk, but a little darker," explains artist Emil Morhard...
21st Century and Contemporary American Realist More Art
Acrylic
Artist Comments
A closeup of a radiant bouquet of yellow, white and red roses. Artist Jo Galang received this floral arrangement as a gift from her children on her birthday. "Small and simple things can inspire and spark happiness," says Jo. "I decided to immortalize this gift so othe...
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Oil
Artist Comments
"Hibiscus blooms are astonishing," says artist Jay Jensen. "The brilliance of color exceeds the range of oil pigments. They have fascinated me ever since I vi...
21st Century and Contemporary American Realist More Art
Oil
Artist Comments
"Where I live, the coconut palms are dressed in the summer in magnificent colors that reveal a range of chromatic harmony," shares artist Andres Lopez. "It is as if the trees want to tell us, 'look at me...
21st Century and Contemporary American Realist More Art
Oil
Artist Comments
In this dreamy forest scene, artist Candice Eisenfeld used a palette knife and thick, semi-dried acrylic as the top layer to achieve the essence of tree bark textures. Background layers of tree forms are embedded in thin, white veils of paint and varnish to achieve an early morning, atmospheric effect.
About the Artist
As an American exploring issues of identity, artist Candice Eisenfeld paints through the lens of the first American art movement, the Hudson River School. Rather than depicting a specific locale, Candice’s artwork evokes a sense of place. These "inner landscapes" are invented, and often reference photographs taken during travels in southern Appalachia and the Blue Ridge and Smokey Mountains. Whether real or imagined, her paintings are influenced by the Dutch Masters, Tonalists, and Chinese painting. Produced on a single wooden panel, the ethereal landscapes are often joined with segments of aqueous color fields which act as commentary for the landscapes, like the chorus in a Greek play. The crisp, hard edges separating the landscapes from the color fields command a sense of order in an otherwise fluid and painterly surface. With two or three sections of the panel competing for attention, the painting creates multiple focal points. Candice's art has been displayed in embassies in Namibia and Belarus, held in the collections of Norwest Bank and Northwest Airlines...
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Acrylic
Artist Comments
A crashing wave breaks the stillness of the horizon, with a brightly reflected sunset on the moist sand. Artist Mitch Davis-Mann started this piece as a plein...
21st Century and Contemporary American Realist More Art
Oil
Artist Comments
A delicate portrait of a Canada goose against a pastel backdrop. "Spending time alone in nature is something I take advantage of whenever possible," shares ar...
21st Century and Contemporary American Realist More Art
Oil
Artist Comments
"This year, late winter brought several cold storm fronts blowing stiffly across the bay," says artist Jesse Aldana. "With them came batteries of color and sh...
21st Century and Contemporary American Realist More Art
Oil
Artist Comments
"The two nearer whimbrels look to me," shares artist Emil Morhardt. "They look as though they might be discussing whether or not to let junior fly to Florida ...
21st Century and Contemporary American Realist More Art
Acrylic
Artist Comments
Classical still life of red lilies and nasturtiums. Artist Nikolay Rizhankov placed the flowers against a linen drape to highlight...
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Oil
Artist Comments
"The shadow of evening flows over a sandy beach and pauses before scaling the cliffs to meet the moon over Santa Monica's waterfront," shares artist Jesse Ald...
21st Century and Contemporary American Realist More Art
Oil
Artist Comments
"Common Ravens are a friendly lot, hanging around in large groups at an abundant food source or pairing off to wander as a couple," ...
21st Century and Contemporary American Realist More Art
Acrylic
Artist Comments
"These two long-billed curlews are gazing at us with an unmistakable curiosity," says artist Emil Morhardt. "Like many shorebirds, when I sat on the beach qui...
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Acrylic
Artist Comments
Artist Mitch Davis-Mann started this piece en plein air during a fishing excursion with his father and grandfather before finishing it in his studio. The serene ocean glimmers under calm winds...
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Oil
Artist Comments
A glowing sunset stretches over the sea, with 12 waves peaking to catch the orange glow. Warm and cool colors work together in the scene, drawing the eye to the distant horizon and the vastness of the water.
About the Artist
Artist Mitch Davis-Mann creates luminous, dream-like seascapes and landscapes. Amazingly, he paints many of his meditative scenes while also working on an assembly line at one of the biggest automotive manufacturing plants. "We build 500 to 650 cars per day per shift, and in between building those cars I have 35 or so seconds," says Mitch. "Build one car, run over, add a detail with those 35 seconds, then rush back to the next car." On a typical workday, Mitch spends almost five hours in front of the canvas. In the beginning, he says it was a frustrating process, where he would lose his place constantly and by the time he remembered what he was working on, the next car would arrive. It eventually became a rhythm though, and now it keeps him focused in the factory. When he's not working, Mitch enjoys traveling, mountain biking and playing in a darts league every Thursday. His work has been exhibited in galleries in Canada and the United States, a local museum show, and on loan to the legislative assembly building in Toronto.
Words that describe this painting: waves, sunset, ocean, water, sunset, dusk, evening, sky, seascape, seascape, realism, representational, oil painting, purple
21st Century and Contemporary American Realist More Art
Oil
2010s American Realist More Art
Photographic Paper
Artist Comments
A worn brick sits dramatically in the middle of an abstracted space. Rendered in detailed layers of coral, brown, blue, turquoise, white, and yellow. "I found...
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Oil
Artist Comments
A close-up view of two ducks looking astutely at the viewer. "There's something highly engaging, and perhaps a little unsettling, about the way these young fe...
21st Century and Contemporary American Realist More Art
Acrylic
2010s American Realist More Art
Photographic Paper
2010s American Realist More Art
Photographic Paper
Artist Comments
A quiet riverside scene, with lush greens and leisurely moving water. Just above the treeline, billowing clouds linger before revealing a soft blue sky. "I find...
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Oil
Artist Comments
A fresh bunch of yellow tulips dance in a simple glass jar against a subdued gray-blue and violet background. Nicole painted the piece in mid-November, and says she was so surprised to find such a lively bouquet at this time of year, hence the title. Painted on Arches heavyweight oil primed paper, which can be framed with our without glass.
About the Artist
Words that describe this painting: tulips, vase, floral, bouquet, flowers, still life, flora, realism, representational, oil painting, green
Autumn Sunshine
Nicole Lamothe...
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Oil
Artist Comments
"These two glowing marbled godwits are painted at the edge of the surf on a soft late evening on a Santa Barbara beach," sh...
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Acrylic
Artist Comments
A grand old oak tree stands in a clearing. Bright sunlight illuminates the leaves and casts an intricate pattern of shadows across the gentle green grass. "The ...
21st Century and Contemporary American Realist More Art
Oil
Artist Comments
"In this painting, a cold winter storm rolls in from the Pacific," shares artist Jesse Aldana. "The icy blue water and sky are accented with warm notes of clo...
21st Century and Contemporary American Realist More Art
Oil
2010s American Realist More Art
Photographic Paper
Artist Comments
"Ravens look highly intelligent," says artist Emil Morhardt. "This one was slowly and purposefully striding back and forth about ...
21st Century and Contemporary American Realist More Art
Acrylic
Artist Comments
I saw this pair zooming around my house, cawing wildly on some crow mission," says artist Emil Morhardt. "One would think that Common Crows are black, but in ...
21st Century and Contemporary American Realist More Art
Acrylic
2010s American Realist More Art
Photographic Paper
2010s American Realist More Art
Metal
Artist Comments
Colorado summer evening. A man walks his dog as storm clouds clear overhead. Warm light from the left reflects off of the many wet surfaces. Classical realism. ...
21st Century and Contemporary American Realist More Art
Oil
Artist Comments
Artist Heather Foster encountered this inquisitive subject while painting en plein air. "This nosy California girl wanted to be front and center to see what t...
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Acrylic
Artist Comments
A baseball spins through the air, streaked with reflections from the blue sky above. High, slow moving clouds give the ball outsize scale and speed. Part of a s...
21st Century and Contemporary American Realist More Art
Acrylic
2010s American Realist More Art
Photographic Paper
Artist Comments
A panoramic landscape of Montegabbro, a tiny medieval village in the heart of Tuscany. We stayed here four years ago and loved it so much we will be returning this fall, says Mandy Main. In the foreground, the ochre and sienna toned field leads the eye into the painting. The green countryside and distant violet hills are loosely rendered, mostly using a palette knife. Shafts of light at the horizon lead the eye up to the dramatic warm clouds sweeping across the pale periwinkle blue sky. An iconic Tuscan palette. The edges of the gallery wrapped canvas are painted a dark espresso color.
About the Artist
Mandy Main is an art historian and landscape painter based in the Southern California desert. She has long been passionate about 19th Century American landscape paintings, which has been influential in her artistic practice. Mandy works in series, generally three paintings at a time. Her process begins with a vision of a place she has been, but she takes creative liberties with the aesthetic details. The artist is captivated by light and shadow, and strives to instill her work with moody drama through the representation of these elements. Using layers of paint and glazes, Mandy achieves mesmerizing atmospheric depth, encouraging the viewer to gaze and be still.
Ochre Field...
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Oil
2010s American Realist More Art
Canvas, Oil
Artist Comments
"These two friends were at the Santa Fe rodeo grounds, early in the morning, just after they were fed," shares artist Heather Foster. "They were relaxed toget...
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Acrylic
Artist Comments
"This guy was at the Santa Fe rodeo grounds," explains artist Heather Foster. "Rodeos are a crazy world where an empty field one day becomes a busy town overnig...
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Acrylic
Artist Comments
Artist Jo Galang says this piece was inspired by a lovely bouquet she received from her son and his girlfriend on Mother's Day. "It was so beautiful, and the ...
21st Century and Contemporary American Realist More Art
Oil
Artist Comments
Though I live in Texas, I consider Virginia my home and long for the shellfish I would get from the Chesapeake Bay. Since I can no longer eat oysters there, ...
21st Century and Contemporary American Realist More Art
Oil
Artist Comments
This is a California plein air style oil but painted in the studio.
About the Artist
Steven Guy Bilodeau prefers to create his works in one session...
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Oil
Artist Comments
The Coquitlam River near Jo's home in British Columbia is a favorite painting subject. She enjoys regularly walking the riverbanks from one end to the other w...
21st Century and Contemporary American Realist More Art
Oil
Artist Comments
"I would describe this still life of tulips as uncommon, novel, and intriguing," says artist Nicole Lamothe. "I was initially attracted to the striped leaves ...
21st Century and Contemporary American Realist More Art
Oil
Artist Comments
An evening sky of pristine clarity unfolds across the canvas while the low horizon is dominated by a massive old tree and a warm light on the porch of a littl...
21st Century and Contemporary American Realist More Art
Oil
Artist Comments
I've painted this scene a couple of times before. There a lots of dead pines facing the channel that separates the coast of Maine from Grand Manan Island, exc...
21st Century and Contemporary American Realist More Art
Oil
Artist Comments
When artist Jo Galang moved to Vancouver many years ago, she and her family settled in the city near Stanley Park. "On frequent visits to the park, we would o...
21st Century and Contemporary American Realist More Art
Oil
Artist Comments
In this dramatic seascape, Jesse Aldana describes a stormy evening on the coast near Santa Barbara, CA. A cloudburst races across ...
21st Century and Contemporary American Realist More Art
Oil
Artist Comments
Long-Billed Curlews, some of the largest of the shorebirds, often hang out together, milling around at the edge of the surf, then wading in to feed. I spotted...
21st Century and Contemporary American Realist More Art
Acrylic
Artist Comments
A calm evening glow settles on Santa Monica's curving shore and pier in the distance. A man strolls among the palms while another figure looks out on the scen...
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Oil
Artist Comments
While on a summer hike in the woods, Jo discovered this stream and small pool of water. She says she couldn't resist stopping and dipping her feet in the cool...
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Oil
Artist Comments
This is a piece I painted after I did a photo shoot in my backyard. I was interested in photographing the saxophone on a bright sunny day with a field of grass ...
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Acrylic
Artist Comments
"This sweet spot can be found around the base of Shannon Falls in British Columbia, the third highest falls in the province," explains Jo. "There you'll also ...
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Oil
Artist Comments
The Clinton Station Diner is one of New Jersey's landmark diners. I was seated in this particular room that is actually a salvaged train dining car. I could n...
21st Century and Contemporary American Realist More Art
Oil
Artist Comments
A twinkling, realist still life of strong black coffee. Fine detail in the many shadows and shiny surfaces. "A morning cup of coffee is on many people's agendas," says Kristine. "Hot, black, the perfect jolt of caffeine in a classic porcelain cup and saucer, this eye-opener is ready 24 hours a day."
About the Artist
For Kristine Kainer, recreating her emotional attachments to subject matter, whether a still-life or landscape, is paramount. Her goal is to emotionally trigger a response in the viewer. But, "this response does not need to replicate my own feelings; instead, I hope to make the viewer pause for a moment, reflect upon, then respond to my work in a personal, meaningful way."
Words that describe this painting: coffee, breakfast, food, kitchen, still life, cuisine, realism, representational, oil painting, grey
21st Century and Contemporary American Realist More Art
Oil
Artist Comments
Jo encountered this peaceful scene at the edge of a river while on a road trip. "All that green and blue color gives a relaxing feeling after a long day's dri...
21st Century and Contemporary American Realist More Art
Oil