James Torlakson

Empty Booth - iconic watercolor - Red Devil Fireworks

1995

'Nor Cal, 2022' a highly collectable original watercolor by internationally acclaimed American Realist James Torlakson. The art is 20 x 18 inches and 29 x 27 inches professionally fr...

'Seaward', depicting a cargo ship exiting Golden Gate, passing Seal Rock, and entering the Pacific.Ocean, is a highly collectable original 10 x 16 inch watercolor painting by Interna...

'Palmistry Readings' a highly collectable original watercolor 17 3/4 x 21 1/2 inch painting by Internationally acclaimed American Realist James Torlakson. Currently unframed however ...

'The Yellow Phone, 2021' a highly collectable original watercolor by internationally acclaimed American Realist James Torlakson. The art is 24 x 14 inc...

'Bay no. 4, II 1980' a highly collectable original watercolor by internationally acclaimed American Realist James Torlakson. The art is 11 x 16 inches and 15 x 20 inches professional...

'Bay no. 4 (nocturnal), 1981' a highly collectable original watercolor by internationally acclaimed American Realist James Torlakson. The art is 11 x 16 inches and 15 x 20 inches pro...

Mary Reilly explores the full tonal depth of graphite in her nature drawings and landscapes. She finds all of the soft subtleties of gray as she shifts seamlessly from branch to pebb...

A small purple vase floats on a dreamy background of pale blues fading into a warm beige. The artist achieves a remarkable delicate quality by multip...

A single bud vase, a willow tree seeming to grow inside a confined vessel, all appearing to float upon a sea of moving water are the subjects of Christ...

This surreal landscape comes from the inner sanctum of artist Christina Haglid. Two paper orbs combine and reveal a portal to another dimension. The artist invites the viewer to take a closer look at nature, to question what is seen and to enter into a newly created world. Meticulous in her execution, Haglid uses watercolor as one might use a colored pencil. Layer upon layer of color is added to achieve this impressively detailed painting. The piece is matted and framed in a simple white frame measuring 20.25 x 16.75. Christina Haglid Nest, 2020 watercolor and gouache on paper 11h x 8w in 27.94h x 20.32w cm CMH051 Artist's Statement Tiny Sanctuaries There has always been an intersection between the process of writing and the act of painting in my work. It has somehow been my guide. In the last four years, during the making of this work, that connection intensified as I started writing short stories and flash fiction while taking online classes. I find the process of writing and painting so different in almost every way, but there is something freeing and generative in writing which helps my painting process. Or perhaps it's a reminder of what painting is for me - something intuitive that needs to be trusted. And what they do have in common is a desire to encapsulate and distill a single moment, a story, about the complexity of our emotions and experiences. At the heart of my work is the recurring depiction of perseverance, strength of will, and a subtle optimism. Symbolically through the objects, precarious situations depict a moment of possible difficulty, often involving the influence of nature. A paper crane left in the snow. A boat nearly filled to the brim, but not submerged and able to drain its own contents carefully. A slide alone at night...

A paper lantern explodes out of the water, as if propelled by an inner, unknown force. This surreal landscape is done in exacting detail with watercolor and gouache down to the smal...

Christina Haglid Artist's Statement I used to write a lot of poetry, and it has shaped the narrative process in my artwork. Now painting has replaced writing. Objects in the painting are considered like words placed on a page. I use flowers, manipulated objects, and architecture together in compositions to symbolize the subtle conversations and interactions between them. They are placed in imaginary landscapes that are inspired by actual places and travels. All the paintings are watercolor and gouache on stonehendge paper, and they are made up almost entirely of individual brushstrokes. EDUCATION 1993 M.F.A., Cranbrook Academy of Art 1991 B.F.A., Maryland Institute, College of Art 1990 Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture EXHIBITIONS 2015 "Gallery Group" Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL 2014 "Gallery Group" Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL 2013 "Gallery Group" Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL 2012 "Gallery Group" Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL 2011 “Gallery Group” Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL "Meticulous Details: Conservators' Paintings" The Architrouve, Chicago, IL 2010 “Art Chicago” Merchandise Mart, Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL 2009 “Botanica” Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL 2006 “Botanicus” Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL 2006 “Arts Botanica” Loyola University Museum of Art, Chicago, IL 2005 “Blumen: Group Show” Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL 2004-05 “Think Small” Illinois State Museum, IL [traveled] “Christina Haglid: Microworlds” Greenville...