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How do I identify an oil painting?

1 Answer
How do I identify an oil painting?
To identify an oil painting, look closely at its surface. Compared to other paintings, pieces produced in oils usually show off a variety of textures across the canvas, and the paint will appear layered on. If you're looking to determine the name, age or creator of a work, try snapping a photo with your smartphone’s camera and conducting a reverse image search online. Shop a diverse assortment of oil paintings on 1stDibs.
1stDibs ExpertFebruary 13, 2024
Shop for James Hartman Art on 1stDibs
Marina Cyclists, Oil Painting
By James Hartman
Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
Artist James Hartman captures the meeting point of the Berkeley Marina and San Francisco Bay in this expressive California landscape. A favorite Bay Area spot t...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist More Art

Materials

Oil

A Morning Walk, Original Painting
By James Hartman
Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
This encaustic artwork depicts San Francisco Bay from Pr. Richmond. Fragments of sewing patterns reveal McCall's models from a packaging, adding a nostalgic layer to the composition. Artist James Hartman used a cradled panel covered in vintage collage and beeswax to create the piece.


About the Artist
When James Hartman was in art school, he became fascinated with the Society of Six, a group of artists who painted en plein air (outdoors) and exhibited together in the San Francisco Bay Area during the early 20th Century. James's paintings of the Northern California landscape...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Mixed Media

Materials

Mixed Media

Stagecoach Road
By James Hartman
Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
A cradled panel is laid with vintage sewing tissues as a mordant to adhere the beeswax. I did an underpainting in ink then used a prismatic palette to lead th...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist More Art

Materials

Encaustic

Along the Bay, Original Painting
By James Hartman
Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
A dirt path cuts between a golden field and the San Francisco Bay, leading to the rolling hills in the distance. Vibrant colors bring warmth to the scenery. Art...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist More Art

Materials

Encaustic

Miwok Trail, Oil Painting
By James Hartman
Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
A trail winds through trees, drawing the eye toward distant water. Verdant lands emerge in the distance while pale violet hills glow under a peach-hued sky. Art...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist More Art

Materials

Oil

Through the Trees, Oil Painting
By James Hartman
Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
Artist James Hartman began this painting by creating texture with homemade tools. He envisioned standing at the edge of the woods, looking through to an indistinct light. The oil colors were allowed to drip and settle into the textured surface, enhancing depth and movement, while his tools helped define the landscape in a way that captures shifting light.


About the Artist
When James Hartman was in art school, he became fascinated with the Society of Six, a group of artists who painted en plein air (outdoors) and exhibited together in the San Francisco Bay Area during the early 20th Century. James's paintings of the Northern California landscape pay tribute to some of the great Bay Area artists of the past. His expressive scenes feel alive through his vibrant use of color and his painterly brushwork. James’s paintings have an immediate visual impact from a distance, yet up close, dissolve into a series of confident marks and strokes. There is a simultaneous complexity and steadiness in his flattened, color-blocked planes. Knowledge and observation are essential elements of James’s working practice. To this end, he spends a large proportion of his time painting on location. His body of work captures the fresh and sunlit essence of the coastal California hills.


Words that describe this painting: trees, texture, bright, woods, sunlight, panoramic, forest...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist More Art

Materials

Oil

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